Dungeons and Ponies book 1, The Staff of Wishing
by BemnalTheFallen
Summary: the CMC are all grown up but still don't have their cutie marks and so they gear up and head outside of Equestria's borders into the unkown, hoping to find their special talents as adventurers but end up getting sweapt along a much more exciting and dangerous quest than they ever could have imagined- (full summary inside)
1. Strange Winds Are Blowing

Dungeons and Ponies book 1, The Staff of Wishing

the CMC are all grown up but still don't have their cutie marks and so they gear up and head outside of Equestria's borders into the unkown, hoping to find their special talents as adventurers but end up getting sweapt along a much more exciting and dangerous quest than they ever could have imagined- (full summary inside) But within this new territory, there are those plotting to cast down the gods and take their place, two adventuring parties, two goals, one to conquer the world of ponies, and one to save it. A dungeons and dragon's based adventure. (rated M for descriptive gore and fantasy violence) OCs welcome!

***DISCLAIMER***

I do not own My Little Pony Friendship is Magic nor do I have any aphiliations with it, it's producers, or it's benifactors, nor do I own Dungeons and Dragons or have any aphiliations with it, it's producers or it's benifactors. This is a work of ficiton made for entertainment purposes only.

Please support the official releases.

***DISCLAIMER***

CHAPTER 1 Strange Winds are Blowing

-the legendary mane six are all but retired, but there are still those who threaten the existance of all equinity be they Earth Pony, Unicorn, Pegasi, Hobbit, Gnome, Elven, or Dwarven. We need a new generation of heroes- excerpt from _the secret book of Bemnal the Fallen_

Applebloom walked up to the edge of the Everfree Forest and stared through the breach in the magical boarder seperating Equestria from Ébány, her coat's micro hairs stood up on end as excitement and wonder filled her body and sent adrenalin surging through her veins.

"WILL YOU WAIT UP!?" Scootaloo screemed from behind her.

Applebloom turned her head away from the enthralling view of the magical barier to look upon her Barbarian friend stumbling through the Forest's brush.

"not everponie's a Ranger you know!" the Pegasus cried as she finally managed to get her hoof free of some thorny bushes with a somewhat beligering glare on her scarred face.

Applebloom couldn't help but have a bit of a chuckle at her friend's trouble, it was easy for herself to navigate through the bushes and vines as a Ranger despite her great size, but this was not so for many others. Occasionally the Earth Pony tended to forget that.

"well it's not mah fault yer all as clumsy as a bull in the middle o' summah!" the Ranger retorted in her thick farmer accent.

Scootaloo gave her friend a warning leer before finally making her way next to the hulking pony.

Throught the years Applebloom had gotten ever larger and stronger until she even outmatched her brother Bic Macintosh in both size and strength, and that's a scary thought!

The Ranger now stood a little over 7 hooves tall with bulky muscles hidden under her studded leather armor and sitting at her sides were two hand axes sitting in their sheathes, there was also a battle axe holstered in a custom sheath on her back where upon there was a bulging quiver of arrows.

Strapped to her torso was a Giant's Bow, a rare and expensive weapon and only usable by ponies with such monstrous strength as her own.

attatched through a series of leather straps to each side of her torso were multiple throwing daggers that her sister taught her to use, along with a hunting dagger sheathed and attatched to her weapons belt next to her left hand axe.

Despite her gruff looking equipment and battle ready weapons, her head sported to helmet nor hood and still was adorned with her southern belle curly red mane with the oversized pink bow tied within it's strands. Her tail hung down lazilly in thick curly tuffets; her yellow coat barely showed through her armor save for her exposed head maw and pony ears.

Golden eyes turned to look at the Barbarian as she sat down on a nearby rock and let out an exasperated sigh.

"ugh! where the hay is Sweetie Belle? did she get lost again?" Scootaloo whined as she plopped her rump down on the rock.

Although it was with good reason, Sweetie did have a tendency to get side tracked as did most Bards.

Scootaloo looked up at the pale see-through barrier stretching up high above the sky.

"peh... they always gotta use magic..." the Barbarian grumbled as she crossed her toned arms. Scootaloo's body was riddled with scars from her many battles and from repeatedly crashing into stuff as a filly and to this day she still idolized Rainbow Dash, one of the legendery heroes of Equestria, it was believed that they even had dealings in Ébány at one point.

Scootaloo asked herself for what seemed like the millionth time 'why are we here again?' ofcourse she knew the answer, twenty since the three of them had popped out of their mother's wombs and still neither of the three had gotten their cutie marks, and as such they had formed the 'Cutie Mark Crusaders' as young fillies. What had started as a foalish club had become a Creed, a way of life, to try anything anywhere no matter how bizaar or scary, the philosophy had taught the three never give up hope no matter what life threw at them.

And to stick together no matter what.

Even through such a foolish idea as this, Scootaloo could still hear her friend's words ringing in her head.

'CUTIE MARK ADVENTURERS!' the thought was ridiculous, how could such a broad unspecific category earn a cutie mark? 'casue o' all the stuff we'll be doin'! killin' monsters an' survivin' agasint the wilds it'll be fun!'

Scootaloo couldn't stiffle the chuckle that escaped her lips, it was a silly filly idea but... they'd done things a lot more idiodic so what was there to lose really?

And so here they were, at the end of the Everfree forest sitting infront of the only open breach in the magical barrier seperating the continants of Equestria and Ébány.

Scootaloo sighed as she pondered the magical land, oh that word 'magical' a Barbarian's most hated word, the only reason she even associated with Sweetie Belle who as a bard possessed spells herself was because they were foalhood friends. And even still there was a little hostility between them.

Well, more so animosity from the Barbarian, Sweetie didn't seem to even be aware of the tention but then again, Bards were very carefree...

The Pegasus let out a groan while tapping her hoof on the ground as she waited for her friend to catch up, her body was highly toned and lean just like her idol, and she truly fit the ideal of a Barbarian to a T.

Studded leather armor snugged her body close with two crossed custom sheaths on her back that held a Battle axe in the right sheath with a Warhammer in the left; additionally there was a Quiver of arrows on her back.

Sitting at her side was a hunting dagger not unlike Applebloom's and strapped to her chest was a composite longbow.

Scootaloo's orange face carried a few scars here and there which only increased her intimidating appearance, her purple eyes were half lidded with annoyance. Violet mane was cropped short and spiked here and their in a punkish style as her tail also was shaggy and short but the Pegasus could care less about her mane and tail.

"did she like, get eaten by a plant or something?" Scootaloo commented as she craned her neck to stare back into the forest as if her extensive stare would cause the Bard to suddenly pop out of the greenery.

Ironically it did.

"BWAAAHH!" a panicked voice screemed from above, the two mares looked up to see Sweetie Belle fall down from a height in the trees only to be stopped by various vines that stretched a few inches and then bounced the white mare up and down a few times.

Sweetie's head snapped around in quick little motions like a squirl surveying its surroundings before spotting her companions.

"Sweetie Belle present!" she cheered while holding her hand up to her head in a salute.

Applebloom snickered while Scootaloo merely stood up, walked over to her upside down friend, drew her dagger, and slashed the vines effectively dropping Sweetie Belle to the ground with an 'oof!'

"well that could have been done with more tact..." Sweetie criticized.

Scootaloo shrugged "you're down aren't you?" she said nonchaluntly.

Sweetiee stood up while brushing the dirt off of her luxurious clothing "true, true..." The Bard wore some enchanted chainmail armor under her extravegant clothe's but all that could be seen was a lavish overcoat of silky turquise littered with thick embroiderings that left the coat very stiff and padded which was good for the Bard as she used it during shows to conceal many of her 'tricks up the sleeve' and to sometimes cheat during a card came.

Resting at her left side strapped to her weapons sheath was a broadsword, balancing it on the other side was a Dagger.

Hidden on the under folds of her Cloak was a long strip of boiled leather with a hardened patch which she would use as a sling to hurl specially crafted stones.

The Bard's green eyes surveyed her surroundings as she stood up tall. The bard was supprisingly strong for her size and proffession, but more so she was a sweet talker, her sister had raised her to be an amazing linguist and to allways try 'talking' her way out of a situation, but that didn't always imply diplomacy; lying and intimidation were their own forms of persuation.

Sweetie's alabaster coat blended with her thich seductive curles of light purple and pink streaks, her mane having a slight windswept positioning that created a 'dashing Rogue' appearence that drove romanticists crazy.

Her body was generously curvy and luscious like her sisters, filling out in all the right places.

Her tail flowed gracefully behind her every carefully placed step.

"well Ah'm glad ya made it!" Applebloom piped, "now then" she turned back towards the opening in the barrier "let's head on through!" she cried and that they did.

Within a few hoofsteps, they were no longer in Equestira, a whoosh of air met them as berimetric pressures changed upon entering the new territory of Ébány.

"wow it really is like going into a new world..." Scootaloo sent absentmindedly.

Applebloom smiled maniacly "ya..." her eyes seemed to shimmer as she stared at at the Brynyald Canyon, a dry airy rocky area with elevated land and what seemed to have once been a very deep river but was now nothing more than an empty gorge.

Applebloom pulled out two items, the first was a map of Ébány(ee-bow-n-yay) the second was a traveler's guide to Ébány, both of these she recieved from a strange traveler who'd passed through Ponyville, said he was a Wizard and was collecting stories of distant lands; Applebloom had bought these items from him in exchange for a weeks worth of rations in juicy red apples.

Scootaloo grabbed the map and unfolded it to reaveal the entire map of Ébány along with a small patch of the map showing the edge of Equestria, she saw Baltimare and on the southern patch, Canterlot and Ponyville, then Northeast of Ponyville was the small breach in the magical barrier that they'd just passed through, the only path through which caravans could transport trade between the two continants.

Applebloom looked excitedly at the traveller's guide before Sweetie snatched it out of her hands with hyper abandon.

"hey..."

"ok! so Ébány is split up into 22 Provinces or states and three small uninhabitable islands that are surrounded by sea monsters."

Scootaloo made a rasberry sound "sea monster ha!"

Sweetie gave the Barbarian a bland look before continuing, "there are 10 climates within this land that are fueled by magic seeping from deep within the Earth, the lines dividing the Provinces on the map can be physically seen on the actual boarders of their territories as ethereal violet glowing lines that radiate raw arcane energy"

as the Bard read on, Scootaloo got ever more disgusted at the thought of this land while Applebloom got more and more giddey.

"among the twenty two Provinces are the ten various climates, each Province seems to sustain its own individual atmosphere and ecosystem, for example, a pony in the Province of Nihiltfronálin(nee-hill-t-fr-on-oh-lin) Desert who is crossing into it's North eastern neighbor or Borisúm will find one of the most bizaar and unexplainable paradoxes in the world!

for the Profince of... I'm not gonna try to sound that out again, the desert place is a hot dry boiling dune filled state while Borisúm is a frozen tundra of snow and ice, yet the two are connected, one can litterally take a step from sand and into snow!

the dividing magical lines that seperate the provinces are extremely powerful sources of magic and very little is understood of them, particularly the Province of Wizard Central which contains all ten climates in one province yet none of the areas are seperated by the violet arcane lines! and then there is also the Five points soul eater which is a section of Ébány in which five Provinces meet and within their five corner points there rests a 100 foot diameter circle of a raging cyclone, anypony or anything who walks in instantly drops dead.

Those few brave magic users who attempted to fly through via astral projection were never heard from again, their unconcious bodies jerked and went limp with hearts stopped.

As one can see, this is a VERY dangerous land! and very profitable for the brave adventurer who decides to brave its terrors, there are many ancient caves, dungeons, and old structures used by the ancients that contain legendary treasure and powerful enchanted items and armor/weapons of un imaginable strength and beauty as we have only begun to discover from the few brave mining companies(generally dwarves) an-...Dwarves?"

Sweetie paused in her rant to re-read the section.

"wow..." Applebloom breathed "ah heard from that magic fellah who sold these things ta meh that there were Dwarves an' Elves an' little stunded ponies called Hobbits and even tinier ones called gnomes but... I thought he was just off his rocker!"

Sweetie nodded her agreement, although her Bardic knowledge had brought her many stories of these exoctic ponies, Elves were Unicorns in appearance but much taller with larger horns and odly shapped limbs with cat tails instead of pony tails, their eyes contained verticle slit pupils and their maws held very feline-like features, and supposedly they lived to be 500 years old!

Stranger still were the Dwarves, Earth Ponies that were a couple hooves shorter and much stalkier and sturdy in build, but they shared the Earth Pony's affinity for the ground and soils and were excellent miners yet they had vastly shorter lives than Equestria's ponies usually living to be about 50.

Then there was the Hobbits, even shorter than Dwarves they looked like young fillies and colts, very friendly and gentle Earth Ponies who just wanted to live their life happilly and to themselves, living litterally amongst the earth and woods similar to a certain Druid that Sweetie Belle knew of.

And ofcourse the Gnomes... oh gnomes... Sweetie Belle sincerely hoped they were real, stories of their inventions and ridiculous speech paterns entertained her to no end.

"and that's about it..." the Bard finished explaining the races to her companions.

"well anyway... the ten climates are as follows, Forest, Jungle, Oceanic sea side, Frozen tundra, Desert, Mountainous, meadow, Canyonous, Tartarus fiery area, and Fringe.

Tartarus fiery areas and Fringe areas should be avoided at all costs, the Tartarus areas are filled with Salamander demons, constantly erupting volcanoes and worst of all, a singing heat that boils most ponies alive within two minutes of entering the area!

the Fringe is a whole other can of worms, the Fringe is a deadly rift where all of time and space are twisted and bent out of whack, everything that ever was, is, and will be exists at the same time yet doesn't exist.

All of time is happening at once yet is not happening at all.

Imagine a white space that stretches on forever and ever with no sky, no ground, no space, nothing, just a blank white empty eternal area.

Now fill that area with 30 foot diameter white stone towers that stretch infinitely high into a sky that never ends and stretches infinitely low to a ground that will never appear.

Each of these towers has spiriling stairwells that twist and stretch through the eternal lengths of the towers on the inside, and every 100 steps there is a platform that stretches all around that floor and there are three archways on each of these floors, now imagine 50 foot long white stone bridges connecting the towers through the archways. There are an uncountable number of these towers in the Fringe, and endless maze of all directions and heights. There is one particularly large Province that contains a fringe area, this Province is known as the Realm of Mandess and is aptly named as most ponies go insane wondering it's endless towers.

When crossing from one province into a fringe area, you will see the white expanse and a bridge connecting the ground through the white empty space and into the towers, though one can say that they'll remember which tower and floor this bridge is on, it's often impossible because here's the scarriest part... the towers _move_ every hour on the hour they all teleport positions in the fringe, turning and moving up or down one floor or a thousand floors, you never know.

it seems that the rules of hunger, thirst, and fatigue do not apply within the fringe, and strangely enough, neither does magic (of the arcane kind only) a pony also doesn't seem to age within the fringe, you could be in their for a million years and not die, not age a single bit, never grow tired or hungry and wonder the fringe's endless bridges and towers until you go mad and commit suicide.

And there in lies the next danger... the Time Dragon.

a highly bizaar Wyrm of gargantuan size that is indingenous to the Fringe climate, Time dragons are invisible save for their giant glowing blue eyes which stalk and follow ponies who travel the fringe, waiting for them to off themselves so that it can devour their souls.

The Time Dragons are extremely patient and seem to also not be capable of starving to death(as told by a pony who was trapped in the fringe for 200 years with the same pair of glowing blue eyes following his every step) apparently they simply need to feed to survive but how long they wait between feedings means nothing, as long as they devour another soul, but they never kill their prey, they wait... they wait patiently, for a billion years if they have to.

It seems that the Time Dragons are also capable of casting Illusions(it is not known how they do this as arcane magic simply does not exist within a fringe area) on ponies to further their insanity and push them closer to the brink of suicidal insanity until they can finally feed on their souls.

Time Dragon eyes appear to be slanted 3/4 moon(or almond if you prefer) shapped turquise glowing eyes that are roughly 20 hooves in length from corner to corner which gives you an idea of how big the whole wyrm's body is.

It is believed that they cannot fly and instead are holding onto the towers and climbing them to follow their prey which causes loud rumbling sounds as the pony moves from tower to tower as if tickings of a clock counting down to the moment when a pony commits suicide.

It is not known if Time Dragons will ever attack or if they can even BE attacked as the bridges outside the towers seem to actually be tunnels with invisible walls and cielings that are impenetrable by any known force(even clerical magic and it is not known how these barriers can resist it) it is also not known how Time Dragons are able to suck souls through the barriers and into their bodies. and it is completely unknown how the Time Dragons came about, how they breed(or even if they do) how many there are in each fringe, how long they live(we assume they are immortal) or anything other than the appearance of their eyes, they can cast Illusions without magic(through barriers and stone that can't be penetrated by any force known to equinity) and that they feast on pony souls(possibly animals as well though that is unlikely seeing as how animals aren't smart enough to contemplate suicide and animals usually stay away from Fringe areas anyway.).

The white stone bridges and towers are also impenatrable by any known force (including clerical magic and again it is not known how)

so basically, AVOID FRINGE AREAS!

There is one bizaar case of the Fringe however, within the Wizard Central Province, there is a pseudo territory of the fringe where the rules of other fringe areas do not apply, there are floating pieces of earth, statues, and chunks of land and monuments from all stretches of time and space, even extra terrestrial objects have been seen, also within this particular area Arcan spells work! one of the ten Magic Towers has been constructed in this area and floats on no surface and stands as a testiment to pony power and the will to overcome anything that the universe throws at us.

ther are many pony settlements within Ébány other than the Magic Towers of Wizard Central.

Tribe Shórn is a Barbarian tribe that resides within the meadowland of the Plains of Dréth(dr-ee-th) filled mostly with Earth Ponies there is another Barbarian tribe in the icy snow covered tundra of The Frozen Wastes known as Tribe báth(b-oh-th) filled mostly with Pegasi and finally a third Barbarian tribe in the forests of Large Forest where plants and trees and even animals are of gargantuan and ridiculous proportions and sizes."

speaking of which, the three mares could see distant trees and outstretched leaves from said forest even though they were likely a hundred miles a way, yet they had a good view and they looked pretty sizeable even from here... and seemed to stretch so far into the sky they it looked like they would touch the sun.

"...moooooving on, the Barbarian tribe within this area is called Tribe Bale. The capital of Ébány is Silvoní(sill-voh-n-I) which takes up half of the province of Silvonostye(sill-voh-n-oh-ss-t-I), a meadowy land, and is where the King or Queen of Ébány resides. west of Silvoní is Slavon(slay-voh-n) which is a very prosperous merchant's city, both of these settlements have a mixture of Earth Ponies and Pegasi (few Unicorns are seen outside of the 10 Magic Towers within the Province of Wizard Central) it should be noted that the Magic Towers of Wizard central are not mere towers but are infact entire cities each build into it's territory(explained futher below)

Some more pony settlements are Ranaheron(Ron-ah-h-air-on) Kénalvane(kee-nal-vay-n) and Falkothine(Fall-koh-th-I-n) which are all desert cities and huts within the Province of Mohíbi(moh-hee-bee) Desert and is mostly populated by Pegasi.

*if you haven't at least looked at the map I drew of Ébány please do so it'll help give you a much better mental image than what I can explain alone. Link and directions of how to get to it on deviant art are at the beginning of the chapter in the IMPORTANT NOTE PLEASE READ section*

Ma'hashara(Mah-ha-sh-ah-rah) is another sandy desert Pegasi inhabited city within the Nihiltfronálin Desert.

there are aslo Earth Pony settlements such as the fisherpony's city Cameroon(cam-err-ooo-n) in the Province of Briar(brr-I-arr) Lothlaen(Lah-th-lee-n) which is a sea side area with lots of Fish exports.

There is also a great achievement of Earth Pony craftsponyship within the cities of The Crimson City and The Gold City which are both cities carved from the cliff walls of the canyon hills! the Crimson city is formed from red rock while the Gold city is carved from Limestone. Both of these Earth Pony settlements are within the Province of Morrgothwín(M-orr-goth-w-ee-n) a canyonous area.

Finally there is the Unicorn Province of Wizard Central where the 10 Cities of the Magic Towers reside.

Each of the 9 surroundind Towers fits it's element along with the High Magic Tower in the center where the Supreme Arch-Majii live.

The High Magic Tower is in a frozen wasteland where powerful magics and spells are conducted and often scar the landscape around it, the cold temperatures minimizes the damage hence why it was build there.

The Magic Tower 1 is within a Jungle area that surrounds the High Magic Tower, it is a fairly large city(though not nearly as large as the High Magic Tower) and is ravaged with vines and earthy growth mixed into it's enchanted stone walls.

The Magic Tower 2 in the mountainous area where the city is built out of a mountain side(though this does not campare in scale to The Red and Gold Cities nor does it compare in extravegence to Equestria's capital of Canterlot)

The Magic Tower 3 is an island city resting in the middle of a huge lake surrounded by rocky shores and impressive auquatic life.

The Magic Tower 4 Is an underground base within a canyanous area, and a few Dwarves have been known to set up trade routes with this Tower to trade mining ores.

The Magic Tower 5 is the only settlement of any kind within a Tartarus fiery area, it's walls are blackened and cackle with red lava cracks and brimstone and evil Dragons often surround the place; many Unicorn Sorcerers of a dark nature were born in, and studied magic in this city.

The Magic Tower 6 is actually one HUGE pyrimad within a desert area that contains an entire city.

The Magic Tower 7 is the Unicorn's prized possession, a void city of harmless electricity and shining crystal that exists within a unique Fringe area(they only fringe area that can be safely traversed) Though most Unicorns born within, and study magic at this city tend to be a bit... strange in the head.

The Magic Tower 8 is actually a very long stretching treehouse city within a large forest area, a few Elves have been known to pass through here on occasion to admire the natural structures similar to their homeland islands.

The Magic Tower 9 is a standard stone city within a beautiful healthy grass filled meadow land with a shining sun and pleanty of hay to eat. Many Unicorns born within, and study magic at this city are benevolent and loving.

Then there are the _sub_-equine settlements.

The Home of The Gnomes(which is the literal name of the city) can be found within the rocky mountainous Province of mount. Th"

"what?" Scootaloo interupted.

"Th"

"...the what?"

"no Th"

"...thhhhheeeeee what?"

"... moving on, Gnomes call this place home despide the stone giants that prowl about, they are amazing inventors by what most can tell but in truth only one in every onehundred inventions will be useful or amazing, all the others tend to explode or tamper with reality but so many inventions are made in a single day that they end up with quite a few ingenious designs.

Hobbits call the city of Krynn home in the Province of Borsiúm(B-orr-s-ee-yuu-m) a snowy wonderland of gorgeous glaciers and heavenly snow flakes that always gently fall, Hobbits within Krynn have set up a city of interconnecting iglues and enclosed ice bridges, each major area is an entire large iglue unto itself, whenever new Hobbits are born and grow up, they brave the snowy wastes to construct attatchments to the city so that they may live within their own iglue, Krynn is an ever expanding and dazzling city of ice and inginuity!

Dwarves tend to live within the city of Kivoností(Kee-voh-n-oh-ss-t-I) which is an underground City in the Twin Mountains Province, they are master miners and forge excellent armor even for the three common pony races and have good trade routes with the rest of Ébány.

Finally are the Elves, mystical and percurious beings of questionable motives, one can never be sure when entering an Elven city if they will be welcomed with food and drink, or killed and used as fertilizer for the forest's trees. Elves reside within no true city as other pony races understand the word, but they do completely inhabbit the Crescent Isle and the Scythe Isle two provinces cut off from the rest of Ébány by a hundred miles of ocean. Both Islands are very forested and contain bits and pieces of elven settlements here and there throughout the entire Islands, some larger settlements are carved into waterfall cliffs or mystical glowing caves filled with jeelyfish mushrooms large as Elophants(not an elephant, and elophant) that swim through the air itself. Not much is known of these areas and the Elves within them as they rarely converse with other races but their settlements are prized for their beauty and preservation of nature; it is believed by some that the two islands are thinking of warring with eachother but that rumor has been going on for thousands of years and probably always will.

Tartarus Gait 1 and 2 are areas of uninhabital wreathing flame and brimstone and lava, surrounded by bloodcrazed wyverns and murderous red dragons.

Dorgon and Dórgon(doo-err-g-on) are Fringe areas.

There are three small unnamed and unreachable islands surrounded by sea monsters and seemingly protected by the gods from any who try to come close, Wizards say to talk to the Clerics who have told us that Krakén(K-ra-k-ee-n) guards the islands fiercely for an unknown reason.

Then there is the island of Drhaego(d-ray-go) which is actually not a part of Ébány but is its own continant of Good aligned Dragons and serves as a breeding ground, nesting area, and home for many dragonlings, it is ruled by Croth the bane of Avorn, who is a legendary and famous red dragon and was once assisstant to Starswirl the Bearded who hatched him as an egg.

The Immortal River also deserves note! The Immortal River is yet another unexplanable anomily that puzzles scholors and Wizards alike. The Immortal River is a very large ever moving river that passes through all of Ébány and provides most of the fresh water for the non-equine creatures of the various Provinces. It is 50 hoves in width and is 100 hooves in some places while only 10 hooves in others, to say that's filled with water would be to lie yet tell the truth, the Immortal River is subject to what it passes through, it is usually water(fresh) but is quicksand in desert areas, lava in Tartarus fiery areas, salt water when going through the ocean off the map of the land, and a pixie dust appearing substance when passing through the Fringe areas.

and that is the traveler's guide to Ébány thank you for reading... huh there's some more stuff but it's mostly population and historical stuff hmm... I'll have to read more of this later" Sweetiee closed the book.

Scootaloo was sleeping while Applebloom blinked at the amount of information she just took in, "wow now Ahm kinda glad Ah didn't have tah read it mahself..."

Shaking her head, the Ranger set her mind back to what was infront of her, the vast canyon of Brynyald, elevated red rocks and empty gorge. "well..." a smile of new excitement plastered her face as she placed a hand on each of her friend's shoulders. "LET'S GO!"

and the three charged down the hill of the canyon slope which turned out to be much steeper than any of them had anticipated.

Applebloom's dexterous steps kept her body upright as she barrelled down the slope bouncing from hoof to hoof.

Sweetie Belle downright tripped and summersaulted down the hill while Scootaloo face planted and slid down the dusty smooth rock while spining horizontally as she went.

At the last step within the bottom of the cavern, the Ranger hopped and landed on the flat warm stone of the canyon floor while her Barbarian firend finally came to a stop next to her.

The Bard zipped right by them and crashed into an abandoned trading cart, the only sign of equine civilization within the entire region, Applebloom frowned as she approached the riddled cart with her inspective yellow eyes.

"huh..." she completely ignored her dissoriented friend and searched for any signs of pony life.

"oh ya I'm totally ok over here thanks for asking!" Sweetie begrudged as she stood up and dusted the debris off her expensive clothes.

Scootaloo managed to regain her dignity as she crackd her neck and joined her Unicorn friend next to the cart "well, that wasn't my proudest moment." the Pegasus mumbled.

Behind the cart, Applebloom discovered a small undamaged chest, the rest of the contents were in shambles, perhaps they were attacked? More likely the cart took a turn for the worst as it was headed up the hill. The Ranger opened the chest to find some very large and smooth grey clothings, one was a cloak that synched at the neck with a hood, the other were hoof boots of the same silky material.

Applebloom didn't need the knowledge of a bard to know these items, her sister had ones just like them.

"hey Applebloom?" Scootaloo called as she reached her head around the cart only to discover that she was gone!

"Applebloom! Aaaapplebloom!" the Barbarian called out while the Bard took notice of her friend's absence and began searching as well.

The Bard had the living daylights scared out of her when a certain gargantuan Earth Pony tapped her shoulder "kyah!" Sweetie shrieked as she hopped up in the air, spun around 180 degrees and landed facing Applebloom who doned a smug smile.

"Cloak and boots of Elven kind" Apllebloom explained cheekilly.

Sweetie did a duble-take before regaining her composure "wow, talk about lucky" she quiped with a smile of her own.

Scootaloo scoffed, first Sweetie goes running arouned with enchanted chainmail and now even Applebloom's using magic items? what was the world coming to?! so thought the Pegasus.

After all three companions had taken a deep breath and restored their dignity, they continued on through the lower section of the Canyon and fortunately did not encounter anything along the way and eventually came to thee territory line that divided the Brynald Canyon and the Everfree Jungle.

upon reaching it, they saw the strange purple line marking territory within the earth as well as on the map, the light violet hue radiated with a soft yet powerful light, it was only 3 inches in width but stretched all the way through the Province boarders, and while on one side there was the rocky canyon, on the other side there was grass and leavy jungle brush.

"huh, just like the book said." Sweetie thought aloud. Scootaloo mumbled something about 'stupid sorcery' and Applebloom was already on the other side.

"hey wait for me!" the Bard cried while running over the line to join her party leader.

Scootaloo cringed as she looked down at the line, her Barbarian instincts telling her to stay away from anything remotely magical and with a grumble she sprang in the air and glided over the line into the jungle filled Province.

The three of them travelled along for an hour with no encounters, but upon the second hour they were face to face with a very unhappy Ogre who charged out of the thick leaves, a giant hulking mosnter with rippling muscles wielding a particularly large club, behind him came another barehanded Ogre.

Sweetie Belle was about to grab her sono-crystal guitar when the Barbarian stopped her "don't. you. dare." she warned, "I haven't had a good scrap 2 weeks!" and with that, she charged at the armed ogre while drawing her weapons from her back and wielding her axe in right hand and hammer in the left, her Battle axe barely bit into it's hide but the follow up strike of her warhammer crashed down into the top of its rib cage and cracked bone, the Ogre let out a shriek of rage and pain.

Applebloom rushed up to the bare handed Ogre and as it raised its hands to strike, the Ranger clasped onto them and begun a deadly game of mercy. Applebloom's hatred towards Ogre-kind fueld her as she used all of her incredible strength to crush the monster before her, and like all Rangers of a high caliber she had chosen a specific monster of the wild to hunt down and destroy above all others, for Applebloom this was creature was an Ogre.

As the Earth Pony roared with power and matched the Ogre's own unimaginable strength, Sweetie drew her broad sword in her right hand and wielded her dagger offensively in her left as she began circling around the distracted ogres.

The Ogre that Scootaloo struck retaliated with his large club and crashed it into Scootaloo's side, with her warrior training, she braced the hit and took it hard as it slammed into her body but managed to stand firm.

The Ogre wrestling with Applebloom screemed in her face as it attempted to throw her off, but the two giants were of the same strength and he only managed to move their hands around clumsily.

Scootaloo's adrenalin shot through her body at massive copious ammounts and her eyes flashed black as a loud boom sounded throughout the forest, her body seemed to grow slightly in size as a red hazy aura surrounded it in swirling currents, the Barbarian had gone into her berserker rage.

Scootallo roared with untamed power as her body moved severely faster than before and she swung her weapons with twice as many strikes; unfortunately they were poorly placed hitts that the Orgre managed to block by barring his club as a shield to defend against the assailing blows of the Battle axe and Warhammer.

Applebloom crushed harder and harder until she actually managed to snap the Ogre's wrists who then let out a cry of pain which was only increased as Sweetie Belle back stabbed him, her sword slicing down into the back of his latteseral muscle and her dager pierced through his hide into his thik back muscles inflicting massive damage to his organs, blood gushed out from the wounds onto Sweetie's face and clothes as the Ogre fell pathetically to the ground barely able to stand.

The Ogre attacking Scootaloo swung again with his club and this time aimed for Scootaloo's head but she feinted down just in time to be lightly nicked by the club.

The Ogre fighting the other two mares could hardly do anything other than whine pathetically at his broken hands.

Scootaloo once again flailed out her four strikes but the Ogre amazingly managed to block them all yet again and thus, took to the skies in a hovering stance to gain a height advantage.

Applebloom moved her hands to draw her axes as Sweetie Belle got in another backstab with her weapons to the Ogre's exposed back. her sword sinking into the side of its neck realeasing a gush of blood all over the jungle floor while her dager pierced into the back of its heart twice. The ogre fell over with a few gurgle of sputtering nonsense before he stopped moving all together.

The remaining Ogre made another swipe at Scootaloo but missed her hovering form as she easilly dodged out of the way and then raised her weapons to strike.

scootaloo's hammer and hammer fell upon the Ogre, he was only able to dodge the axe while the hammer slammed onto the back of his neck sending him down to his kneese, the berserker didn't stop there, she lifted both weapons up almost immediately in an incredible display of speed that would have made Rainbow Dash proud, and crashed them down upon the Ogre again; the axe just scratched him while the hammer obliterated his collar bone.

Applebloom launched herself into the battle with her two hand axes and swung them with her insurmountable strength, her right hand axe cleaved its way into his skull, a cracking thud filled the air as she dug her axe out, ripping the ogre's head open as she did so, slimy brain matter fell out in membranous sticky clumps onto the jungle floor.

"woah! now that's some good quality adventuring!" Sweetie Belle cheered, Scootaloo however didn't look so happy, her body was still surrounded by the blood list of her berserker fit deep down she tried to regain control but failed, she landed to the ground and her black eyes turned towards Sweetie Belle with a psychopathic expression.

"w-woah now come on Scoots it's me!" the Bard said backing up in a defensive but terrified stance.

"cahmon Scoots you can beat it!" Applebloom encouraged as she gently approached her berserk friend.

In an instant, Scootaloo lunged for the spell casting bard who jumped back with a yelp, Applebloom tackled the fitful Barbarian to the jungle floor and attempted to restrain her with all her might. Sweetie Belle stood faaaaar away.

"COME ON SCOOTALOO YOU'RE STRONGER THAN THIS! FIGHT IT!" the Ranger screemed as she looked into the berserker's black blood crazed eyes "you can do it, we're all here for you c'mon Ah know you're in their somewhere!"

The Fitful Barbarian attempted to regain control but failed again as she lashed out at the hulking Ranger ontop of her, but the strong Ranger ontop of her just managed to hold her down as Scootaloo squirmed beneath her.

"Damn it Scootaloo listen to meh! YOU are the one in control! Ah'm not gonna leave you here and Ah'm not gonna let go so yer just gonna have tah be strong!"

Once again scootaloo attempted to regain control, but with such low wisdom she continued to fail each time.

"sorry about this Scootaloo" sweetie Belle whispered as she snuck up around the prone pair and crashed the but of her sword on her friend's skull effectively knocking the raging Berserker out.

"PHEW!" Applebloom breathed out as she crawled off the unconcious Barbarian, this wasn't the first time Scootaloo had lost control in her berserker fit and been unable to come back no matter how hard she tried, nor will it be the last they figured.

Although it came in very handy with particularly tough opponants so they couldn't really complain.

The Bard ran through Scootaloo's wounds and accessed the damage, she wasn't hurt too bad but there was a small bit of internall bleeding by her guess and a fractured rib from that club to her torso.

Applebloom pulled out some medicinal herbs and cut open Scootaloo's skin enough to expose the fractured rib, with her herbs she mashed them up in her mouth and then spat the goup into her hand and rubbed a bit of it into the crack, within a few seconds it secreted into a pasty glue that would hopefully hold the bone together provided Scootaloo didn't put her body under too much stress. 'that'a a laugh' the Ranger thought to herself as she stitched up the opening she'd made and then felt around the rest of Scootaloo's body, thankfully there was no internal bleeding fom what she could tell which put Sweetie Belle at ease.

After an hour of waiting, the Barbarian began to stir as her eyes fluttered open "hnh?" she sat up and immediately regreted it as her head throbbed with a banging sting "argh, what happened?" she looked over to her two companions who were sitting with their backs against trees, Sweetie Belle with her Sono-crystal guitar out and strumming along to a peacefull tune, *skalds and shadows by Blind Guardian*

"_would you belive in a knight like thiiis? a knight like thiiis? when visions come true!_"

Scootaloo pieced together the events of the hazy fight in her mind until she came to a conclusion "... I lost control again didn't I?"

Applebloom gave her a grim nod "damn it" the Barbarian cursed, the Berserker fit was a double edged sword, poweful yes, but also very dangerous and unpredictable sometimes one could come out of it easilly, others they could come out of it with great difficulty, it all depended on the Barbarian's strength of wisdom.

"_would you beliiieve in a tale like this? a taale of bliiss? praise in the oaaklooore come to the blazing fire and SEE ME IN THE SHAAADOWS!_"

Scootaloo rose to her hooves and cracked her neck "well, whatcha waiting for? an invitation? let's get a move on!" and with that, the Barbarain marched off through the jungle, ironic was her fervency since they really didn't have any particular destination at the moment.

Applebloom sighed and Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes as they both joined their stubborn friend, the Bard continuing to sing along her tune "_seee me in the shaaasows! songs I will sing, of ruuunes and rings, just hand me my harp, this knight turns into myth!_"

they passed through the bushes looking upon the many creatures and wildlife, monkeys with multiple arms and giant ants crawling through the high trees.

"_nothing seems real! you sooon will feel, the wooorld will live in as annnother skalds DREEEAM IN THE SHAAADOWS!_"

up high in the sky they could see the stretchings from the nearby Large Forest Province.

"_doo you believe the rescence in iiit? is it truth or myth? they're ooone in my rhymes!_"

the many smells and sounds of a hundred alien like animals and insects buzing about the strange world beyond.

"_nooopony knows the meaning be-hind the weeeavers lie! well noooopony else but the goooods can seee through the blazing fires of tiiiime and! how things should procede as the chiiiild of the heerrald will speeeak to you noooow! SEE ME IN THE SHAAADOWS! SEE ME IN THE SHAADOWS!_"

they crossed through a great brush of giant snakes and pixies who buzzed about while the sun's golden honey created an opalescent glow that illuminated a glorious path.

"_songs I will sing of triiibes and kings! the carryier bird and the haaal of the slain! NOTHING seems real, you soon will feel the world will live on as another skalds DREAM IN THE SHAAADOWS! DREEEAM IN THE SHAADOWS!_"

the Bard latched onto her friend's shoulders with her outstretched arms and smiled at both of them as she continued "_do not feeear for my reason, there's nothing to hide!_"

the other two companions smiled and joined in "_**how bitter your treason, how bitter the lie, remember the rules and remember the light! haaaal I ever want is to be at your side!**_"

by this time the three of them were skipping along, "_**we'll glad and the ravon and III will RUN through the blazing fires that's myyyy choice, 'cause things should proceed as forSEEN! HAAAAAAAAAAAAAH~**_"

now in good spirits, the three of them traveled for a few more hours along the route that the sun provided thinking that it would be least likely to hold any nasty beasties.

Their plan held true as the three of them found the day waning on to night and eventually they set up camp for the night, the Ranger set up a nice little fort of sticks and leaves and the like while the other two brought out their bed-rolls and lay down for a nice rest.

Fortunately nothing attacked them in the night which left Scootaloo a bit grizzled as she'd stayed up second watch for nothing although Applebloom had warned her to take it easy as she nurtured the Barbarian's body.

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle yawned as they awoke, the Ranger decided to get some fresh food since they'd merely eaten apple rations the night before.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo sat back and enjoyed a discussion.

"oh gosh that was so funny! it took a long time to get that grime out of my hair but it was all good in the end, and Babseed stood up for us in the end" Sweetie finished.

"ya, I wonder how she's doing? Haven't heard from her in like, forever!"

Applebloom then arrived with a two dead and skinned foxes in her hand held by thier hind legs "Ah got breakfast!"

Scootaloo licked her lips while Sweetie cringed slightly but held her tongue, not many ponies from Equestria were omnivorous but a few like the Apple family tended to be big meat eaters alongside their apple diet, and as Sweetie read through more of the book she discovered that quite a few settlements in Ébány were either omnivorous or down right carnivors so she had better get used to it quick.

After skewering the rodents, she roasted them on a spit on the fire that Sweetie had made and after a few minutes the three enjoyed a nice meal(even Sweetie had to admit it was better than preserved rations)

The three continued along the sunlit road until they reached a section of the Immortal River that ran through the full of the Jungle "hmm... any idea-" Sweetie wasn't allowed to finish her thought as the Barbarian lunged into the River and began swimming accross.

"SCOOTALOO! what it's filled with Piranah or worse, Dreugh!"

the Pegasus paused halfway through the water and turned to face the Bard while striding "oh please, there's no such thing as-" CHOMP! "ack! something bit me!" Scootaloo panicked as she reached her hand under the water and pulled up a Slaughterfish "...wot?... they're real! sea monsters are real!" she screemed as she took to the skies beating her wings fiercely.

Sweetie Belle nibbled her lip as she looked down at the river, how were they going to cross now?

"hey how 'bout a lift?" Applebloom called.

Scootaloo turned to the Earth Pony "didn't you tell me to oh I dunno, take it easy?" she said while hovering above the water.

"well we aint gettin' around any other way!" the Ranger retorted.

Scootaloo rolled her eyes "fiiiine" she flew over, picked the large Eath Pony up and carried her accross the river before reapeating the same with the Unicorn.

"thanks Scoots!" both wingless companions let out in unison.

The Pegasus waved them off dissmissively.

The party traveled for another hour or at least they would have until something popped up in their way effectively stopping them in their tracks, a single Horse Dragon of all things lunged itself at them.

"Woah!" Applebloom cried as she readied her weapons, she thought she'd heard something moving around.

Sweetie got her broadsword ready and switched her dagger to a parrying stance while Scootaloo drew her weapons.

"no! ya gotta stay outta this one! you're hurt and we can't risk ya going all whacko on us!" the party leader commanded much to Scootaloo grumbled to herself, her warrior's pride being severely wounded as she stepped back.

Just then the Dragon Horse reared up and slammed it's hooves at Applebloom, the first hit was completely and utterly dodged, the second one bounced off of Applebloom's armor.

The Ranger retaliated with her dual hand axes and swung them with fervor, but both strikes bounced off of the Dragon's hide which shocked the hay out of the Ranger.

The Bard tried her own hand at striking, and amazingly her sword managed to sink into the creature's neck stabbing through sensitive muscles and earning a cry of pain from the Horse Dragon.

The Horse Dragon turned its attention away from the Ranger in favor of the Bard as it lunged at her with another two strikes of its hooves, the first strike glanced off her enchanted armor, but the second one slammed into her skull with critical damage and sending her stumbling a bit but she managed to re-balance herself and shake the heavy hit off.

Applebloom jumped in the air and brought her axes down on the creature's neck, but again they bounced off as she landed causeing the reverberating shock to nearly knock her on her rump but she managed to steady herself.

Sweetie hoped for another piercing strike at the monster's throat but her blade bounced off its heavilly armored scales just like Applebloom.

the creature changed its mind yet again and struck the Ranger who took the brunt of the first hoof strike to her chest but the second one only glanced her shoulder.

Applebloom hacked yet again at the creature form the side praying to Celestia that she'd break through it's hide, to her supprise, one of her strikes made it through the armor and all of her strength followed through with the damage right into its neck furthering its blook loss, the creature began to stumble a bit.

But now Sweetie Belle rushed in, aiming for the open wounds to finish it off, luck was on her side as she scored a vital strike to its throat, but it still swung about as her blade ripped its way out of its neck.

The Horse Dragon made a last stand as it attacked Applebloom with both hooves which were easilly dodged.

Applebloom spun around and hacked her axe into the back of its neck to finish it off. The blade of the axe severed the creature's spinal cord and it fell to the ground, dead.

Sweetie and Applebloom were both left panting and exausted.

"awe that looked fun..." Scootaloo pouted.

"oh yes real fun." Sweetie said sarcastically as she began speaking in an ancient clerical language and tapped into the bit of priestly magic that all Bards had to heal herself of her head injury with

"_croth mivaliin_" a white light surrounded her head for a few seconds and a warmth filled her body as it was completely restored.

"and you couldn't of used that on me?" the Barbarian complained, earning a deadpan expression from the Bard "you hate magic..." she said blatantly.

The Pegasus blushed a bit as she realized she'd been duped. "ya well, you're... dumb..."

"Rally? that's the best you can manage?"

"jrghk! shut up!" and with that, the Barbarian stormed off with her entire face flashing crimson from embarassment and humiliation.

the rest of the trip through the Jungle was uneventful atleast until they came accross a peculiar flyer nailed to a tree with an arrow, it read as such,

_King Wratharm Protector of the Realm is calling to all skilled and brave adventurers, crusaders, and mercenaries of renown, a Quest and duty to the Kingdome of Ébány must be fuffiled, reward of 100,000 Gold Pieces in blocks of mithril shall be rewarded to any who comply to-and complete-said quest. Willing perticipants shall be outfited with 2,000 gold for expenses._

Sweetie Belle finished reading. "well well well! Ah think we just found our adventure!" Applebloom said smiling.

The other two nodded with their own giddyness, this is what they came here for!

"so like, where are we supposed to go?" Scootaloo asked curiously.

"well... says here we should meet within the Capital of Ébány, Silvoní within the Privince of Silvonostye, I think we can get there faster if we cut through Mount. Th, the Gnomes there are supposed to have some kind of really fast travelling device called a 'wush wagon' might be worth a look"

the others nodded.

"alright then, let's a get a move on!" Applebloom cried and with that, they headed for the mountains north of the Everfree Jungle.

Another night of camping, During which time Sweetie healed Applebloom of her minor wounds and the Ranger did the same to the Barbarian with her herbs; and 4 hrs of travel brought them to the boarder.

Both Applebloom and Scootaloo were nearly healed of all their wounds with their warrior's matabolism but still thought it best to avoid conflict(or Applebloom thought it best, Scootaloo merely complained about wanting to kill something again)

as they ascended the mountain, they noticed a large amounts of black rocks, although that would be common, these looked a little to large for comfort...

"Ah got a baaaa-" Applebloom didn't get to finish her sentence as the rocks began to move on their own and form together into 50 feet tall rock giants.

"WHA! THEY'RE REAL?!" the Bard cried, even her vast imagination had refused to except such creatures.

"finally a battle!" Scootaloo said maniacly with a lick of her lips, but the Ranger picked her up and slung her over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes "Hey!" the Barbarian whined as Applebloom booked it up the mountain with the Bard far ahead of her, funny how Rogues seemed to gain unnatural speed whenever they were running away from something.

Once they reached the actual rock solid area of the mountain, the ponies passed through a barrier of invisible untangible substance that the stone Giants crashed into and fell apart upon.

the two ponies didn't stop to look behind them, they kept on running and running and running until their legs felt like jelly.

"um, guys, I think we _may_ have given them the slip." the Pegasus commented prompting the two fleeing ponies to finally fall to their kneese tuckered out.

"that, was not, cool." Sweetie Belle breathed as she panted upon her back, chainmail now hot from her ventalating heat, its weight upon her shoulders and neck were becoming very uncomfortable.

The others voiced their agreement as they finished resting and rose to their hooves and continued along the black rock filled mountain(Scootaloo finally being put back on her own two hooves)

The three of them made it to their destination at last and saw ahead a large metalic city built around and partial into the mountain.

"ah the Home of the Gnomes! and that's the actual name of the city!" Sweetie said with a wanton smile.

Applebloom and Scootaloo both were very curious to see just what these 'gnomes' were like.

Upon entering the gate-less city, they noticed immediately the tiny three hoof stall Earth Ponies scrambling about, moving at ridiculous speeds, as one of the CMC turned to the right, she saw a large long table of Gnomes fiercely scribbling about their pages, their tiny hands but a blur, one of them even wrote so fast that his quill and parchment spontaneously combusted from the friction.

"_AIE AIE AEI!_" the Gnome cried out as it grabbed a frying pan and began smashing the fire like a madpony "_firedie firedie!_" it spoke so immensely fast that it was hard to understand what it was saying.

eventually some kind soul came over to the clerk and replaced his quill with a stylis and gave him a glace plate to write on.

one of the other mares noticed a different Gnome working on some contraption or another, he tweaked it and turned its cogs, it made a rumbling sound and the gnomes mouth went abright. Then it puffed and died out, the Gnome angrilly grabbed a hammer and smashed the contraption causing it to explode and send the gnome flying into the air so high he twinked out of sight "_AAAAIIIIIIEEEEEEEeeeeeeeee..._"

Applebloom blinked "...wot..."

the three arrived at a sign that had 'wush wagon' written in every language concievable on the board along with a map of Ébány, albeit the most horrid representation of a map ever! the words so tiny you could barely read them, many islands were in the wrong places and the whole thing was just a botched job.

"ugh, I don't think I like Gnomes" Scootaloo sighed.

The three of them moved further to the Gnome arranging the wush wagon. "_detinin?_"

Scootaloo blinked "what?"

"_detinin?_"

"... det..in..nin?"

"_detinin?_"

the Gnomes voice came out so incredibly fast it couldn't even be deciphered.

The Bard attempted her own try.

"_detinin?_"

"de..destination?"

"_detinin!"_

"oh! um... Silvoní"

"_thirgo_"

Scootaloo shook her head furiously "what?"

"_thirgo_"

"..."

The Bard once again tried to sound out the fast words

"thhhhirtty gold?"

"_thirgo_"

Scootaloo narrowed her eyes "ten gold" she said sternly.

"_thirgo_"

"no, ten gold!" the Barbarian insisted now with some anger in her voice.

Sweetie Belle shook her head, was Scootaloo honestly going to try and haggle with a Gnome?

"_thirgo_"

"fifteen"

Appareantly so...

The gnome pointed at Scootaloo "_ten gold_"

"wh-oh... ya... ok then..." the Pegasus pulled out some coin and handed it over to the Gnome and then proceeded to walk towards the wagon, but her two companions were stopped by the gnome who then pointed at each in turn "_ten gold_" "_ten gold_"

The Barbarian ruffled her mane "gaaah!"

"oh enough of this!" the Bard cried as she reached for her coinpurse but was stopped by the Barbarian "no! we are not paying thirty gold!"

the Bard attempted to still get her purse out and the two sturggled over the coin until 5 Gem Fragments went flying out.

"_shiny?_" "_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_""_shiny?_"

the three were suddenly asulted with an army of gnomes who were crowding around the three and feeling around their bodies and admiring their weapons and anything with a shine.

"gah! get off meh!" Applebloom cried as gnomes climbed their way up her body only to be flung off into the distance at the wave of her arms.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" The Bad screeched in Scootaloo's ear "me?! this is your fault!" but the two didn't have any more time to argue as the gnomes crowded around them and brought them to their kneese, Scootaloo downright fell into a see of of them sending splashes of gnomes into the air only to fall back into the sea of tiny ponies.

"RUUUUUNN!"

"WE CAN'T!"

Applebloom had had enough as she stood up with her Ogre strength and flung the gnomes left and right before running over and yanking Sweetie Belle up onto her shoulder, then bull dozing her way through the tiny ponies like bowling pins until she got ahold of the Barbarian slung her over her other shoulder.

"we're getten outta here now!" she yelled. The Ranger finally managed to toss the ponies into the wush wagon by diving into it and taking them with her.

Infront of the wagon was yet another Gnome "_wush wagon!_" he cried hapilly before grabbing a torch and throwing it at the other end of the wagon.

A sssssss sound could be heard from the back of the cart, Sweetie peeked over to see a series of flamable and very combustable containers with a lit fuze "... are those explosives?... THOSE ARE EXPLOSIVES!" BOOM!

the three were sent rocketting through the air at high speeds with their bodeis pressed agains the back of the cart, cheeks and mouthes streetching behind them from the intense speed.

"MOOOOOOMMMMYYYYYYY!"

the three did a loopdiloop of a natural forming rock ring which prompted Scootaloo to cry, "HOW WAS THAT PEFECTLY PLACED THERE?" "WE DON'T KNOW!"

after a few minutes of terror a random gnome fell into the wagon covered in soap suds holding a sponge.

"_wush wagon?_"

Sweetie Belle picked the gnome up with a question mark practically materializing above her head before tossing it out of the cart "_wuuuush waaagooooon!_" it cried as it landed on the ground and shook its tiny balled fist at them "_nyyyraaaaghhh!_"

they didn't know how long they bulleted through the landscape but at one point they left the ground from flying off of a ramp in the rock below them causing them to literally soar through the air.

"THIS HAS TO BE BREAKING SOME KIND OF SAFETY REGULATION!" Sweetie Belle cried(literally)

XXXXX

Two Pegasi guards stood at the gates to Silvoní a rather peacefull day so far, a few travelers here and there, and two particularly creepy ponies earlier in the day but other than that a quiet time so far.

"..._aaaaaaaaaaa_aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAH!" a fell voice on the air increased as it came ever closer to the gate.

"... you hear something?" the one guard asked his companion.

"what do you mean?"

the two looked forward as something came flying at them with a large amount of speed. "... is that a wush wagon?..."

"... IT IS!"

"open the gate quick!" the two ponies rushed to open the large adamantine gates just in time for the wus wagon to come flying through, nearly hitting many citizens along the way until it crashed into the side of a stone building.

The guards rushed over to see if the wagon's passengers were still alive "woah! are you three ok?"

"...define...OK?..." Scootaloo rasped out.

two hours, some medical attention, and a room at the Ruby Brazen Inn later...

"ugh!" scootaloo plopped down onto her bed, the inn's room was exceptionally lavish as was befitting an inn within one of the richest cities in Ébány.

Sweetie Belle was ever so relieved to get her own chainmail suit off, it's enchantment may have kept her silent but... it was still heavy.

a happy sigh of relief escaped her lips as she too plopped onto her own bed.

Applebloom coudln't even comment as she pased out on the ground and fell asleep.

"finally rest!"

"amen to that!"

The three of them stayed a few nights at the inn until they were fully restored of their vitality, then they stocked up on some more rations and were readty to be on their way.

But first they decided ot have one last mug of ale.

As the three friends sat there in conpanionable silence... until it was completely broken by sweetie Belle hopping up with an ecstatic face "hotty at 2 o' clock!" she cried as she eyed a handsome young Earth Pony a few tablew away form them in the inn's tavern.

"wha? really Sweetie?" Applebloom chastized.

"hey, I haven't gotten laid in a month!" and with that, the Bard strided over to the young gentlecolt and layed down her charm.

within a few secons they saw the stallion blush and bite his lip with a questioning look to his friends who eagerly edgedhim on wihth encouraging nods.

And with that, the Bard walked passed her companions holding the stallion's hand, giving them a wink "see you fillies in an hour!" she said cheerefully.

Scootallo blanched "how does she _do_ that?"

Applebloom shrugged.

Scootaloo pouted for a bit before eyeing a cute little mare in the corner of the room, and her friend followed her glance.

"Scoots don't..."

"oh please watch this."

Applebloom facepalmed as she painfully watched her friend make a fool of herself.

and two minutes later the Pegasus sat back down at the table with the red stinging mark of a handprint on her cheek.

"I hate Sweetie sometimes..." she grated out through gritted teeth.

"she's more charismatic than ya, what can ya do?"

and hour later the Bard in question returned to their table with a dreamy half lidded expression and a faint glow of satisfaciton about her.

Scootaloo glared at her with envy.

"we done bein' fillies here?" Applebloom asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know what you're talking about, I feel like a mare." Sweetie quiped with a stupid grin.

"I'm gonna kill you..." Scootaloo grunted with hatred in her voice.

Eventually the party left the Inn and headed for the King's gates but as they did so, two very strange ponies passed them by, heading in the opposite direction, one of them in a white kimono with pink lillies on it, and the other swaddled up in a black cloak and cloth tunic, pants, and boots his face was also covered.

"wow... sure are some wierd ponies around here" Applebloom comented before returning her attention to the city around her, it's beautiful stone walls and enchanted barriers, even the sky of the city was protected, there were Clerics of sea gods defending the coasts and Paladins defending the meadowland areas.

The three of them finally made their way into the castle and arrived infront of the Castle gates, the guards looked at them with raised eyebrows.

Applebloom held up the flyer from the Jungle "ah..." and with that, the guards led them inside the glorious palace of white stone and golden engravings.

The CMC saw within the palace a series of powerful looking Paladins and Clerics, this apparently was a very religious city, and at the edge of the room stood a few of the King's court Wizards, leaning on their staves and discussing magics.

"ah! you must be answering the summons!" the King cheered, King Wratharm, a tall Alicorn enraptured with full body plaitmail, a heavy shield and a Katana lay at the sides of his throne, and upon his head he wore a heavy helmet shaped like a dragon's head with a hole for his horn. All of this looked heavilly enchanted if their' unnatural glow was anything to go by.

"yep!" Applebloom let out cheerfully, she and her companions walked up to the king and gave a small bow.

"good good! with the two others that makes five companions, the more the merrier!" the King cheered in his loud booming voice of an aged and experienced soldier.

"so what exactly is this 'quest' that the flyer tells of?" the Bard asked.

"ah that," the King began. "I suppose there's no point in beating around the bush, in a prhase... I need you to save Ébány if not the entire world."

The three mares blinked "... come again?"

The Immortal chuckled "tell me, have you ever heard of, the Staff of Wishing?"

Sweetie Belle searched the annals of her bardic lore and knowledge, going over each and every story she'd learned.

"huh... no actually..."

the king nodded "not supprising, the story is one that is rare even amongst the Bards and story tellers of the Magic Towers. But before I get into that lot, you should be introduced to the other two ponies who answered this 'calling of heroes' as it were"

Sweetie bit her lip wondering if she liked that title or not, being an adventurer was one thing, but being a hero? that was more her sister's area of expertise, Applejack's as well.

On the other hand... 100,000 Gold did sound nice...

The three ponies turned to a corridor from which their two new comanions walked through.

XXXXX

Far to the southern end of the Plains of Dréth, an Assassin in black cloth tunic, fingerless gauntlets, pants, and boots with a black cloth cloak(hood up) and a black cloth face mask sat with his back against a tree, that teleporting stone hadn't gotten him and his comanion all the way to their destination, but it sure did get them close.

his turquise eyes looked out at the cloudy sky, the weather here ín Ébány often followed its own rules, it could still be manipulated, but generally it followed its own course.

The Assassin's black bangs of his mane hung down the left side of his face covering most of his left eye, sitting at his left side on a weapon's belt was a sheathed Elven cleaver of Bloodletting, a very formiddible weapon, and it'd served him well thoughout his life ever since he'd been granted it from the Assassin who'd taught him his craft.

Strapped to his thigh was a black steel Ulak, an unusual dagger that came in very handy with protecting him in open conflict, and ofcourse strapped to his lower back were two extra cartridges of bolts for his repeater crossbow which sat in a specially made sheath on his back. His name was Ironheart, he was light of hoof, skinny, toned and a definite loner. One of the only Pegasi who preffered the company of nopony, his black wings and cutie mark of a grey heart of cold iron fitting him perfectly.

"BOO!"

save for one.

Ironheart gave a bit of a jump at the sudden noise, he looked up to see the only pony in this world that he held any compasion for, Vanilla Sanguine.

The Earth Pony mare was tall and muscular, but not the sort of 'bulky hulk' although her muscles were very sizable, they were also extremely toned and defined, honed through years of pefect training.

The two were in their early twenties yet were both of a very high caliber in power and experience, blood thirsty merceneries paied to do whatever job ponies were willing to pay their high rates for. The two may have been expensive, but they were effective.

Vanilla herself was a Kensai, a unique class of Warrior who did away with armor and focussed so heavilly on the mastery of one weapon that they were not just fighers, they were martial artists.

The Kensai wore a white kimono with pink lotusses decorating them beautifully, at her left side synched with a weapons belt were two Katanas the weapons fit her nicely, especially her cutie mark, a bleeding red heart impailed with a Katana.

the Earth Pony had an Alabaster white coat and a very light minty green mane that was shorter than most females and flowed around her head in wavy strands, her crimson red eyes added a menacing element to her maniacle smile, both mercs were more or less insane, one a maniac, the other a natural born psychopath.

The Kensai also had some throwing knives hidden on inner pockets of her kimono and a dagger strapped to the other side of her belt just in case.

"you ready ta get goin'?" she spoke in her lazy voice often skipping many syllables.

The Assassin nodded silently as he usually did, opting to talk as little as possible.

and with that, the two headed towards the southern Province of Borisúm a frozen tundra where the Hobbits made their iglue city of Krynn.

and thus they reached the boarder of the Province, a skip and a hop and the two heard and felt a sshhhfup! of berimetric pressure and atmosphere change and suddenly the freezing cold of Borisúm overtook them.

an hour of silent Travel insued, both mercs covered up in thick furr coats to stave off the freezing cold of the snowy atmosphere, until they came accross a hobgoblin.

"gnnaaaa! you two dummies! poor dummies who give me shiny or I make dead!"

Vanilla blinked, then turned to Ironheart "care to?"

the Assassin walked forth towards the goblin who drew a heavy crossbow "ah ah ah! no stetp closer! you give gold now or die!"

Ironheart ignored him as he continued his swift almost souless gait.

"s-stop no! no closer or you die!"

"then shoot me you bucking pussy" the Assassin breathed out in a soft but menacing voice, his icy blue eyes piercing into whatever shamble of a soul the goblin had.

Ironheart was five hooves from the goblin when he fired, the bolt bounced right off of the Assassin's chest as if it were an acorn.

"wh-wha?!" the goblin panicked as the Assassin dexterously drew his elven enchanted cleaver and with a swift upward slash, he sliced the goblin's torso from one diagonal corner to another, leaving the goblin falling to his kneese with coupious amounts of blood flowing forth, much more than should have been, the cleaver's enchantment forcing the goblin to bleed more and more and more, gushing out like a gyser he clutched his chest but in futility as the blood just ran through his fingers, tears formed in his eyes as he looked at the two ponies who now had long since walked past him, leaving the sot to bleed to his death in the snow.

afte a few more moments, that's exactly what happened, and from then on, the goblin was ever silent.

"what a bucked up way to die" the Kensai commented.

Ironheart shrugged for his nonverbal response.

"ya you're right..." Vanilla replied, over the ears since their foalhood, they had become like siblings and the Kensai had learned well how to read the Pegasus' body language.

After a few more hours and no more fateful encounters, they arrived at the iglue city to find the hobbit settlement, they rented out a room at an undersized inn and took to the icy streets in search of information.

The clients of the two merceneries were known as 'the Guild' a supposedly evil and very very powerful organization, why they had them searching for this 'Staff of Wishing' or what their motives were, the two could care less. They were merceneries, they got paid, they killed or bullied and they moved on to the next client, no questions asked, and that was just the way they liked it.

Inside of a shop, Ironheart was holding a Hobbit by his throat up to a wall, with the Hobbit's small pony frame, his hooves weren't even touching the ground at this point.

"now now!" Vanilla chirped as she stood next to the Hobbit and leaned against the wall nonchaluntly, "why don't you just tell us what we need to know and we can be on our way, oooorrrr I could let my friend here have his fun, he's only supposed to kill and torture for business but if you ask me," she leaned in close to him and spoke with a mock voice of concern "I think he'd easilly mix business with pleasure if he had reason to"

"OK OK I'LL TELL YOU JUST PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!"

The Assassin dropped the Hobbit, looking down at him with the soft yet terrifying eyes of souless eyes of a murderer.

"I-It's in the black water cavern south of the city! it was just a tiny little thing, just a stunded drake at first but, but a few months ago he _changed_ that's all I know I swear!"

the Kensi scrunched her lips up in conetemplation "hmmmmmmmmmm ok I believe you"

the Hobbit let out a sigh of relief and the two mercs left the shop without another word.

a half hour of trekking ouside the city and they arrived at a cave, the black water cave, famous for a 'demon' that now resided within, this was their most recent job from the Guild, to investigate rumors of The Staff of Wishing, whatever the hay that was; as well as any extremely unusual activity around certain settlements.

This was one of them.

Walking into the cave the Assassin quickly surveyed the area of the green stone tunnel slightly flooded with cie water and discovered a few traps which he then dissarmed.

"huh, didn't know drakes were that smart" the Kensai thought idly.

Ironheart gave the slightest of silent nods as his agreement.

the two of them didn't need to travel far to find what they were looking for, a Large ...Dragon?

"Drake my flank! that's a bucking Shadow Dragon!" the kensai did a double take.

"..." the Assassin 'voiced' his own shock.

The Shadow Dragon turned towards the invadors of his domain "aaaaahhhhh more fodder for my army I see... hmhmhmhm" the Dragon rose within the large domed area of the cave and with him, 5 zombies rose.

"weeeellll... this should interesting!" the Kensai said maniacly as she drew her Katanas while the Assassin redied his Cleaver and Ulak both in offensive stance, he didn't need to worry as much about attacks due to the mithril armor he wore under his black clothing.

"ready?" Vanilla asked.

"..." the Assassin replied prompting his partner to shut her eyes tight as he threw a falsh bomb at the shallow water, its blinding light singed the zombies and dragon alike. The Assassin rushed forward with all haste and dissappeared from sight whlilst the Kensai charged straight for the Dragon, she knew this was a particularly high level opponant and would need to be dealt with first.

The Dragon and his zombies finally managed to recover.

The Kensai lashed out at the Dragon while roaring with her special kiai power, allowing her to inflict maximum possible damage (provided she hit), she lashed out with four super fast strikes, only two of them got thorugh this demon's scales but the ones that did hit home on his major organs and ripped all the way across his torso, those two attacks alone... inflicted enough damage to kill the seemingly invincible beast... the Kensai ran with fervent speed in a circle around the Shadow Dragon with her Katanas inside until it was effectively cut in two, one single round and she'd taken out such a legendary beast, it's blood sprayed accross her fur coat and filled her face with an insane manic grin of blooth lust, oh how she loved killing her prey in a single attempt.

Meanwhile the Assassin had pulled out his repeater crossbow and with a pull of a leaver, it's stings and metalic launchers unfolded and were ready to launch a folly from his sneaking position he had a snipers box ready to take out the zombie Hobbit ponies.

three bolts were launched in rappid succesion of a thwf thwf thwf! all three hit their mark with his sniper's aim and his carefully placed shots took landed each bolt in a different zombie's head effectively blowing the skulls up

the zombies slowly moved towards the mercs and as such, their doom.

The kensai stalked closer and with a wush of air, struck each of the zombies twice with her katanas, once zombie was decapitated, the other was split right down the middle.

The Earth Pony stood in the puddle of zombie blood with her Katanas lowered and glistening off the reflection of the water "well that was fun..." she said with a giggle.

The Assassin shruged and gathered up the bolts he'd fired, one of them was useless but the other two were still good.

"alright let's head back, you'll need to write a report on this for the Guild" the Assassin nodded.

On their way back to the Hobbit settlement the air was peaceful save for a whize through the air, the Kensai turned just in time to snatch an arrow aimed for her head, she calmly untied the note that was attatched to the shaft.

"...huh...too many big words" she handed the note to the Assassin who was more versed in the finer arts of reading an writing.

"... the Guild is sending us 'assisstance'..." Ironheart said in his soft barely audible voice.

"huh... can't wait to meet 'em..."

XXXXX

The two mercs finally arrived back at their rented room where they were instructed to meet their 'assisstance' more companions... just what they needed. Vanilla thought this with a mixture of sarcasm and sagelyness, while it was true that between the two of them there was little physical opposition that could survive, they could certainly use some ponies talented in other arts than just stabbing things until they stopped moving, although it would be entertaining to have another one of those...

"how many did they say they were sending?" Vanilla asked.

The Assassin looked at the note "three..."

the Kensai shrugged "well... let's meet the newbies!" and with that she opened the door to meet her and Ironheart's new companions.

END OF CHAPTER 1


	2. cantrips and mordekainen

CHAPTER 2 Of Cantrips and Mordenkainen

-Would you belive in a knight like this? one with such impossible strength? or a legendary sorcerer with such power? legends, heroes, what is real and what is myth? a simple trick? or an incomprehencibly complex web of lies among truth? what to belive, what to cast away as false; would you belive in a knight like this?- excerpt from _the secret book of Bemnal the Fallen_

Applebloom stood within the center of the King's Palace, her head twitching around the area as she awaited her new companions that said king had informed her of.

Sweetie Belle shrugged and pulled out her sono-crystal guitar only to begin playing away a simple soft tune.

*Bard's song by blind guardian*

"_now you hooonor, the bards and their sooongs, when hours have gone by, IIII close my eye, in a woooorld far away, we may meet again._"

as they waited, Hoofsteps sounded within another area...

Two Ponies walked through the halls, one of them carrying one Katana that had cost all he had, the other a gift from the one who had taught him the way of the sword.

Next to this pony was a skinny toned equine with no weapon but instead a mere shield.

as they neared the end of the corridor, they heard music sifting through the halls.

"_but now hear of our song, of the dawn of the niiight, let's sing the baaard's song, tomoooorow will take us away!"_

The two ponies entered into the next room whereupon they came in contact with the King's guards.

"please come with us" they said monotonously.

The two ponies shrugged and followed along.

Finally the two adventurers found their way into the large main room of the King's great hall and stading in their was a Bard, a Ranger, and a Barbarian.

"_faaar from home, nopony will eeeeever know our names, but the bard's songs will remaaiiiiin. tomooorrrow will take it away! the fear of today! it will begoooone into our magic sooooongs... (guitar solo) There's only one song left in my miiiind, tales of a braaave stallion who lived faaar from here!_"

"... who is this?" the pony with the Katanas asked.

It was then that the King turned to the other two adventurers who had answered his call "not supprising, the story is one that is rare even amongst the Bards and story tellers of the Magic Towers. But before I get into that lot, you should be introduced to the other two ponies who answered this 'calling of heroes' as it were"

"_now the Bard's songs are over and it's time to leave. Nopony should ask you for the name of of the oooone who tells the stories. tommooooorow will take us away! far from home, nopony will eeever know our names, but the bards songs will remmaaiiiin, tomooorooow alll will be known, and your not a lone, so don't be afraid in the daaar and cold! cause the bard's songs will remaiiiin they all willl remaiiiiin"_

Applebloom turned to look upon the two new adventurers that would be joining her companions.

_"n my thoughts and in my dreams. There always in my miiiiind, these songs of hooobits dwarves and ponies and as come close your eeeeyes! you can see them truueeeeeeeeeeee"_

The King held out his hand to gesture at the pony on the left.

"this is Omnifarious, he is a Fighter from Equestria"

The ponies turned their heads to see the Earth Pony, about five hooves seven inches tall, skinny and not to physically intimidating as most Earth Ponies let alone Earth Pony Warriors tended to be. He looked about as young as the CMC themselves, his black mane was side-swept with a thick bang that traveled down the right side of his forehead, blue eyes stared out at the three mares with a fairly calm demeanor, his Torso was covered with an Equestrian styled blue jean jacket and jean Kilt, very thick with cloth padding to provide at least some armor;

he also carried on his left for arm a small 1 hoof long small bronze shield, the edges looked much thinner than the rest of the shield as if they had been sharpened, turning the shield into a weapon of its own right. There was also a shimmering black scale gauntlet on his right hand that seemed to shine with an arcane light, obviously enchanted with something and would no doubt add prowess in hand to hand combat if used as such.

His hooves were bare and his coat color matched that of his jacket and eyes, only ofset by his black mane and tail.

While he didn't look to terribly strong, he did look very agile and extremely healthy as if he made up for his lack in strength with a high dexterity and constitution.

"well hello Omnifarious, nice ta met ya!" the hulking Ranger said cheerfully.

"oh, um, you can just call me Omni... and nice to meet you as well" the Fighter replied midly. and as he looked from the big oaf of an Earth pony to the scar riddled Barbarian he shifted a little, then when his eyes turned to the luscious beautiful form of the Unicorn Bard his head cast downward with a blush.

The King nodded, "and this is Urvesher... a err, Swordsstallion of some merit."

The three looked at Urvesher who stood five hooves and 10 inches tall with an extremely athletic toned and skinny body of highly disciplined muscles and tendons that often came with being a Kensai.

Urvesher's mane was very short but still longer than a buz cut, it was an ash black with a blood red strkeak running through it, his tail much the same, hanging down softly yet taught as if not even that part of him was allowed to be relaxed, every inch of his body was tense and spring loaded as if he were expecting an attack at any moment and was prepared to decapitate anypony foolish enough to try.

His coat was a greyish black but was mostly concealed by a pitch black leathery suit save for his Pegasus wings, the suit itself shimmered oddly in the light as if hidden magics were enchanted within.

The Kensai seemed to be the same age as Omnifarious if only slightly older, the Kansai's bright blue eyes pierced into the souls of the three mares, his gaze seeming to burn with a hundred haunted memories of pain and rage.

There was a shortbow strung around his torso with a quiver of arrows along with two Katanas slid through a tight shash belt, but only one of them was positioned for drawing, the other seemed to be merely a back up.

"Well ah... Nice ta meet ya too!" Applebloom chimed.

"indeed good meet you!" the Kensai's demeanor completely shifted as he engaged in conversation.

"oooooh did you grow up in Ébány?" Sweetie asked as she rushed over to the Kensai.

"well yes I did!" and thus the Pegasus proceeded to ramble on in an extremely rushed and loud proceeding of conversation similiar to a certain pink Bard that Sweetie knew of, babbling on and on in an almost manic fashion hardly stopping for breath.

"well I think Sweetie's made a friend." Scootaloo chuckled.

Appbloom rolled her eyes and walked over to the Fighter and pulled him up in a one armed hug. "welcome aboard the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" she greeted cheerefully.

Omnifarious smiled meekely "ya uh thanks, um, 'Cutie Mark Crusaders'?" he asked quizically.

the Ranger smiled "yep! it's a name we all came up with when we were just little fillies! we never found our cutie marks so we made a little club called the Cutie Mark Crusaders, it's kinda been like a little family for us." she looked over her friends with a nostalgic smile.

Omnifarious blinked "really? you don't have your Cutie Marks either?" he asked.

Applebloom's vision snapped back to the Fighter "you don't have _yours_?!" she asked haphazardly.

"uh well, no... never learned what my special talent was, that's kinda why I came to Ébány in the first place..." Omnifarious replied.

"well ah'll be! we gotta get you a CMC cape!"

At that, Sweetie Belle's head popped up "did I just hear what I think I did?"

and with that... Omnifarious was dragged off have hs measurements taken.

"WHA? WHEN DID SHE GET SO STRONG!"

"WE DON'T KNOW!"

XXXXX

an hour later everypony had been settled an the King had granted them their forward payment of 5,000 gold pieces in the form of small little cubes of mithrill to each.

Another cube of mithrill sat idle on the pedastle.

"...who's that for?" Applebloom asked curiously.

The King turned to the cube and gave a solemn nod "ah yes, well, I suppose there was one more adventure I neglected to mention being that she has mysteriously dissappeared but I belive she'll pop back up at so-"

"ooooh somepony call for me~?" a sultry voice sounded out from the corridor that Omnifarious and Urvesher came through.

"oh great" Omnifarious face palmed.

all ponies present turned to see a curvy luscious Unicorn enter the room, she was adorned with a white kimono robe intricately inlade with methodical violet webs along its entirety.

She stood a few inches above six hooves and was graced with a very seductive and volumtuous body, curvy and filled out in all the right places, her face the essence of beauty.

Her Alabaster white mane hung around her head in noble class curls, falling gracefully over her face, her coat the color of black shadow with flirtatious eyes of violet.

Strapped to her torso was a composite longbow with a quiver of arrows on her back, her white tail gracefully flowing behind her.

out from behind her came a handsome young guard with a flushed face and a dazed expression as he meekly spun around before passing out practically with hearts floating from him.

Urvesher turned with a raised eyebrow towards Omnifarious, "... how exactly did you two end up traveling together?"

the Fighter shook his head "long story, loooong story..."

"oooh well hi there all you cutites!~" the ebony Unicorn sang out as she crossed the threshold to the CMC, it was hard to tell her age, her natural beauty seemed to cover up any and all signs of weatherdness, as it wass she looked like a beautiful young but mature mare.

Both Abbplebloom and Scootaloo's faces flushed at the sight of the Unicorn while Sweetie Belle looked between her two friends and waved a hand infront of their faces "yoohoo! anypony home?" all's she got in response was incoherant mumbling and a dismissive wave of a hand.

Flushing with embarassment and anger, the Bard leered through narrow eyes at the other Unicorn 'I don't like her...' she mentally decided.

Omnifarious rolled his eyes, he could already see how things were going to end up...

The King spoke at last "ahem! yes well, this is Gumomo, a travelling Fighter"

Scootaloo snaped out of her stuper "wait, what? you're not even wearing any armor!" she blanched.

Gumomo shrugged with a cute smile, "some of us don't need to hide behind a wall of steel," she walked up and ran her finger up Scootaloo's throat and flicked her chin, "besides, it's funner to be bare" she finished seductively.

Scootaloo gave a stupid smile as her wings began to unfurl prompting a kick in the shin from Sweetie Belle accompanied by a glare.

The king cleared his throat to regain everyponies attention as the chamberlain handed Gumomo her forward payment.

"well then, that should set you all well off for expenses... but now it is time I explain the entirety of just what is going on," the King began, "you see there is a darkness brewing within Ébány, has been for quite some years, but only recently have we begun to piece together the bits of the puzzle.

For you see, well perhaps it's best if I start at the beginning"

a Large projection of illusion filled the room and showed the enteire world as it was oh so many million years ago near its birth.

"long before ponies walked the earth, and even before the long dead human race ruled, long before any sentient life existed within the planes of soil and ocean, back to the creation of the earth itself, there was Discord the god of Chaos.

It was from him that the world, the sun, and the moon were all created and as I'm sure you've learned from the old history books, the gods needed some way for him to be destroyed as his tyrany stretched beyond heaven throught all of existance.

Only with the proper vessel could Order the goddess of Harmony's power be focused"

the gods floated down onto the earth and gave life to the first of humans

"and so they created those in their own image, but they were flawed, too filled were they with greed and corruption that they brought about their own demise and nearly took the entire planet with them."

atomic bombs launched accross the earth obliterating all life.

"Discord merely sat back and watched, entertained by the human's conquering of oneanother, and thus the gods' plan had failed. But hope was not yet lost, they tried again, this time with ponies and thus the first of the Equines was born"

ponies rose from the soil as the gods gave them life.

"Finally there came about a powerful Druid who acted as the medium to focus Order's power of Harmony and sealed Discord away within what is now the Everfree forest."

a blast of rainbow light shot the god of Chaos into a large stone structure.

"but... thousands of years later the Druid was killed by a witch and a Cleric-Reaper who claimed her life in a stupendous battle of magic, and with her death, the prison of Discord was weakened and released."

Discord's darkness descended upon the world once more.

"but with the first defeat of Discord, Order had attempted to claim the universe for herself and thus her godly children rose up against her and ripped her into six pieces, what are known today as the Elements of Harmony, it was with Discord's freedome that two Alicorns were called upon by the gods to wield the Elements"

Celestia and Luna stood 15 hooves tall with golden and silver plaitmail, the Elements floating above them as they challenged one of the oldest gods in the universe.

"And with the grace of the divines, Discord was once again sealed within stone, inside of what is now Ponyville"

Years pressed on through milinium until the statue cracked and opened yet again.

"but Discord's will endured and again he was free, this time the Legendary Six stood against him"

Six mares exploding with power, a Ranger with Plaitmail and a Great axe, a Thief with two daggers and studded leather armor, a Bard with chainmail and a longsword, a Clerical Druid-Animal with a large wooden staff and brown robes, a tall strong Barbarian with Leather armor and two katanas, and finally a red robed Wizard-Transmuter with two wizard's staves all stood before Discord and clashed in a battle that could only be described as Epic beyond all reason.

"and at last he was sealed away yet again in Ponyville. But isn't it strange that Discord was released from his stone prison when the one's who had sealed him, Celestia and Luna, still drew breath?"

the Illusion dissapeared and left all five adventurers pondering.

"what we could not have ever expected was for an abomination of Discord's design... the Staff of Wishing, normally such a thing could never exist, such a high degree spell of the greatest caliber could never be enchanted into a rod or staff but... As the god of Chaos... Discord does as he pleases regardless what the laws of the universe say and thus he created an insult to all that is orderly, a staff that anypony could wield, a staff that could grant any wish, even those of greed and extremendious power;

one could even wish godhood upon themselves, or wish godhood away from others."

Everypony's eyes widened.

"I see that you are beginning to take in the direty of the situation we are presented with, if somepony say of an evil nature were to get a hold of the staff and wish godhood upon themselves, they could then use it to wish away the old gods and rule over all existence.

And that is exactly why they need to be stopped!"

"um... who?"

The king sighed "yes ofcourse... the Guild as they are known, my spies have learned that they are searching for the staff, presumeably for the exact reasons I just stated, they are an organization of power hungry mobsters who seek only to advance themselves and rule over as much as possible.

They must be stopped at all costs! and so we set our resources to finding the staff of wishing, we had come to the unanimous conclusion that the staff had been used to free Discord which means that Somepony out there has hold of it, this was ofcourse more than Ten years ago and thusly we have know idea who has it or where it remotely could be... Although, we have noticed throughout the last decade many strange occurances through Ébány and thus we have put our resources towards finding the origines of these strange happenings.

With a mixture of Scrying and magical detection of wish spell residue, we've been able to pin point several locations where wish spells most likely have been cast, from oldest to most recent, a path way towards the staff's location, It could be in the hands of one, or in the hands of many and as such it could be close to the most recent location or passed along back near the first, or it could be nowhere near any of them;

but we must start somewhere and where better than the areas full of wish residue? so this is your quest, to hunt down the Staff of Wishing through the various locations it most likely has been and bring it back here to be destroyed."

the Ponies looked at eachother "well..." Sweetie Belle started, "that's, quite a lot to take in."

The King nodded "indeed, and so I send you off, the oldest trace is within Falhorn Cave in the far eastern tip of the Large Forest Province. We have a Wyvern Carriage and some provisions to get you there"

The five adventurers nodded.

And far in the back of the room, a skulking Court Wizard left the scene, stepped behind a door and pulled out a small white crystal "Falhorn Cave in the far eastern tip of the large Forest Province" he spoke into it before pocketing the crystal once more and returning to the Great Hall.

XXXXX

Falhorn Cave in the far eastern tip of the Large Forest Province, so that was to be the next destination, A tall six hoof 2 inches Pony sat on a bed within the igloo Inn as he held a crystal connecting him with the spy the Guild had implanted in the court of the King, and now he knew of their next intended destination.

the door opened prompting the pony to hide the crystal within his black robe.

Vanilla Sanguine and Ironheart both entered the room to see a tall black robed and hooded pony sitting upon the bed with a staff clutched in his right hand, his head turned to meet them, and there they saw his coat, a pale ghostly white with patches of grey and dirt here and there, dark circles under his eyes which bore a silver empty color, the one on the left in particular contained and inverted white pentagram.

The Stallion's mane came down in long thin weak strands, parted by his horn which was visible through the hole on the front top of his mage's hood, the mane's strands were a disgusting shade of ugly grey and just barely covered the outer most edges of his eyes from view; his face was covered in wrinkles and lines of elderly age.

After a second or so the left side of his hood caved in gently and concealed his left eye containing the pentagram.

"aaaaahhh there you are" he spoke with a horribly raspy voice as one dying of plague might use, the Black Robed Wizard stood up with shaky weak legs as he leaned upon his staff as if he would litterally not be capable of standing without it, his Wizard's staff was tall and black, many engravings and hyroglyphs adorned the sides of the staff and at the top, four dragon claw shaped protrusions clutched a six inch diameter red orb, the orb itself seemed to contain a swirling sandblast of glass similar to collectable marbles.

"I was wondering when you'd ah, be retruning" his lips split apart as he smiled before he let out a series of hackling coughes, afterwards he spat on the ground, the liquid containing a mixtrue of phlem and blood.

Vanilla blinked "...ew..."

The Wizard chuckled as he whiped his mouth with the sleeve of his robe, "you must be theeee merceneries, ah, yes so here you are; well theeee others should ah, be wondering around the, city I imagine" he looked off to the side with a smirk.

Vanilla 'hmmed' before speaking "well, I'm guessing you're from the Guild?" she asked.

The Wizard weakilly turned his head back "nnnnnyyyesssss," he answered in his sickly voice, "I'm chairpony number ah, 4 yes that's it, 4, well I suppose we'd better, continue, with the matter at hand" he spoke with several pauses filled with a creepy smile and a raspy strained breath.

Vanilla nodded her response.

The Stallion slowly made his way over to the two merceneries using his staff for suppord and reached with his free hand into his robe before materializing three dosiérs. "The Guild, insisted that, you have acces, to these; foalish I, know but, what harm, is there? heheh*cackle and dry heave*" the Wizard finished.

Vanilla warily took the three manila envelopes from the Unicorn before slowly exiting the room with Ironheart close in tow.

"wow, that was um, different..." the white Earth Pony commented as she stood outside the Inn room.

Ironheart tugged on her kimono a coulple times to shake her out of her stupor "right, right" she said refocusing as she opened the first of the envelopes and began to walk outside of the inn and into the igloo proper of the main Hobbit city.

"ok first we have door number one," pulling out the file she was graced with a picture of the creepy Stallion she'd just seen "hmm, name: Palebreath. Race: Unicorn. Gender: Male. Choice of Proffessional Persuit: Wizard-Illusionist. Age: 65. Mental State: highly questionable? what the hay is that supposed to mean? Experience: Heavily Seasoned. Misc: afflicted with a terminal illness, enchanted ring sustains his vitality." Vanilla finished reading off the dosiér before replacing the files and opening the next one.

Before her now was a picture of another Unicorn, this one also wearing a robe from what she could tell but the hood was lowered and reavealed his lava colored coat and from what she could tell of the small photo, red eyes, but something looked odd about them. What that was, she couldn't tell from this picture. "stupid paintings..." if only they would adopt the Equestrian style of flash photography instead of relying on painting artists... oh well.

His mane was an amberish color and styled in a similar fashion to the Legendary Rainbow Dash's. There was also something strange looking about one of his eyes, cheeks, and neck but again from the size of the photo she couldn't discern the details.

"Name: Grotimnos. Race: Unicorn. Gender: Male. Choice of Proffessional Persuit: Wizard-Necromancer. Age: 28. Mental State: Average with slight distortions. Experience: Seasoned. Misc: suspected non equine genes. Versed in the old Canterlot Speech." Vanilla idly wondered if the Guild had a file on her and Ironheart as well, the probably did, the Guild had a way of knowing everything and everypony everywhere every second.

Placing that file away she drew the next one, a picture of a purple maned Unicorn with a leather hood, his mane coming down the sides of his face a full hoof or so down his torso from his jawline and his coat a darker shade of purple leaning closer to black.

what could be seen of his forehead was bare indicating that his bangs must have been brushed or combed back in a 'lordly' style.

his eyes were completely yellow, no iris no whited area, just yellow with black cat-slit pupils.

There also seemed to be a cloak that was tied around his neck with the hood down, black by what she could tell.

"Name: Obsidian Sparkle. Race: Unicorn. Gender: Male. Choice of Proffessional Persuit: Cleric-Reaper. Age: approximately 200?! Mental State: Sociopath, physically unable to comprehend fear, remorse, empathy, or guilt; known to kill at the slightest provocation and lacks any and all concience; handle with caution. Experience: Seasoned. Misc: Suspected non equine genes. distant relative of Twilight Sparkle. We'll I'll be a son of a bitch..." Vanilla stared at the papers for a moment longer before placing the file back inside the envelope.

A tug at her kimono grabed the Kensai's attention to her Assassin companion, "ya?"

"..."

"hmm I dunno, I thought Vampires couldn't be magic users of any kind too... I think I'mma have a chat with thim when I find him..."

"..."

"ofcourse I'm sure! you Think I'm scared of a sparkly fairy colt?"

"..."

"ya I know vampires are a lot different then the books I was mocking him"

"..."

"ya I was, you know what? just shut up for a while"

"..."

the two of them found their way into a nice quaint section of the City whereupon they encountered a White Robed Wizard using a simple Cantrips Spell to entertain a group of Hobbit foals who jumped up giggling as they attempted to cluctch the floating spectral butterflies that floated around them "pretty!" one of them cried adorably as she hopped up and jutted her hands out for the glowing whisps.

The White Robe smiled as he stood up and turned to face the Kensai and Assassin in tow.

The Necromancer wore a white leopard skin robe indicating his magical alignment towards good.

up close, Vanilla could now make out the details that the file had not revealed previously, on the right side of his face was a series of scars forming an N. His right eye was also adorned with an eye patch.

His throat contained a skull tattoo from his collar bone up to the bottom of his jaw, the skull itself contained a crack ontop of it as if impailed.

and his eyes which she now saw were crimson but with black diamond shaped pupils.

the White Robe stood before the merceneries "good evening!" he said in a chipper voice.

"uh, hey. I'm Vanilla Sanguine and this is Ironheart" the Kensai reffered first to herself, then to the Assassin.

"well it's a pleasure to meet you! I'm Grotimnos nice to make your aquaintance" the Necromancer held out his right hand which Vanilla reluctantly shook.

In Grotimnos' left hand was a tall silvery staff containing a sphere similar to the one on Palebreath's save for this one being blue and being held in place by ten thin strands of silver from the rod of the staff swirling around it in multiple spirals.

"ya, I'm aware of that, we're with the Guild" Vanilla quiped.

the Necromancer nodded "I see, well then just a moment," the Wizard turned back to his seat and picked up his war scythe in his right hand, resting the staff of it on his shoulders and somewhat using his staff as a walking stick as he returned to the mercs.

Vanilla nodded and turned, guiding the three pony party through the rest of the major district and as she did so, she threw a glance at the Necromancer's weapons belt which was armed to the teeth with several small weapons ranging from a tanto to a wakizashi to a steel shortsword.

"... there's no way a Wizard knows how to use that many weapons..." Vanilla squelched.

Grotimnos smiled "not all, but some, and my opponant will just have to hope they make the right guess" he quiped.

The Earth Pony furrowed her brows "hunh, well, what's a White Robe doing with the Guild anyway? I mean they aren't exacly known for their 'ehthics'." she inquired.

Grotimnos nodded sagely "Being a Wizard is expensive, Alchemy is expensive, and materials for smithing is expensive."

Vanilla blinked "you're a smith?!" she practically blanched.

The Necromancer chuckled "yes, strange hobby for a magic user I know but I enjoy it." he finished with a firm nod.

Vanilla contemplated his response "hm" was all she gave for reprieve.

The Necromancer spoke again, "well anyways, I need coin, and the Guild offered just that, and quite a lot of it; as for the details I'd rather not ask and not have them tell."

Vanilla gave a laugh at that, "I think we're going to get along just fine." she said with an amused smile.

Ironheart nodded his response.

Grotimnos noticed just then that there was indeed a third pony among them "ah, I belive you introduced his name but, is this 'Ironheart'?" he asked.

Vanilla looked at him puzzled before turning to the Assassin "oh! ya, he's kinda easy to not notice sometimes; well ok _often_ times. Buuuut he's a cool guy when you get used to him." enhancing her comment, she drew the Assassin closed with an arm hooked around his neck and gave him a noogie which the black Pegasus didn't take to kindly to and swatted her away with his hand like an annoyed little brother.

Grotimnos smiled, he could tell these two were very close to oneanother.

"oh by the way," Vanilla began as she looked down at the Wizard's hooves which bore golden horseshoes and... "you wear socks?" the Kensai comented as she looked at the lava colored socks covering the Necromancer's hooves.

A screem from their right tore the three ponies from their friendly conversation.

Vanilla turned in the direction of the sound "the hay was that?"

Grotimnos looked in the same direction as well, spotting a tavern with Hobbits fleeing some scene or other, "Not sure but it can't be good."

the three rushed to the Tavern and managed their way past the panicked Hobbits until they saw a Unicorn squating on a bar table in an eagle perch with his elbows resting on his legs "oh really?" he chuckled out in a sadistic voice as he leered a twisted smile towards the Hobbit Tavern owner.

"I-I'm s-sory sir but that's how m-much the drinks cost! n-now please pay your tab o-or I'll be forced to call the guard!" the Tavern owner stuttered out on the edge of wetting himself.

The Unicorn chuckled and licked his lips, "oh goodie, I can get some practice in while I'm at it!" he spoke with an old Equestrian accent.

"ahem" Vanilla coughed.

The Unicorn turned around, "eh? ooh the bludy ehy are you?" he asked with a cocked eyebrow.

The Unicorn was adorned with dark dry blood stained studded leather armor, a leather hood with dark purple strands of mane running down the side of his face onto his torso, his horn piercing through a hole in the hood.

The stallion's eyes were yellow with catlike slit pupils, his coat a color of blackish purple, his body was also adorned with a dark cloak synched at the neck.

Every inch of him save for his face was covered, even his hands wore leather gloves and his hooves covered by leather boots.

Grotimnos narrowed his diamond eyes, "he's a vampire" he said, his Necromantic training telling him all he needed to know.

Vanilla's jaw fiddled a bit in contemplation, "I'm guessing you're Obsidian Sparkle."

Obsidian tilted his head with a twisted smile as he hopped off the tavern edge and landed infront of the three merceneries.

"ahhh! Guild I'm guessin'?" he asked while baring his fangs.

Vanilla nodded, "guess all around I guess..." she quiped.

Obsidian chuckled, "well, jolly old good to know the twats I'll be spendin' time with" he licked his lips, "hope you're not squeemish 'round blud love heh heh" The Cleric walked passed and picked up his scythe before exiting the Tavern.

"uhm! th-the tab!" the tavern pony cried.

Vanilla rolled her eyes before tossing a few gem fragments onto the counter.

After leaving the Tavern, the three mercs caught up to the vampire.

"what's a vampire doing in a tavern anyway? it's not like you could drink anything." Grotimnos scoffed.

Obsidian turned around with his scythe resing on his shoulders, his arms around its staff and walking backwards, "cole it 'role playin'', spewing out sick can be a louvily experience ifn' you want to feel alive hmhmhm" he replied.

At last the four of them returned to the Inn within the igloo city.

"ahh! the protigal ponies return *cough* so *wheeze* I see you've *wheeze* collected everypony..." Palebreath said in his raspy voice but paused when he spotted Grotimnos.

The Necromancer stared right back at the Illusionist.

"..."

"..."

Both Wizards burst out laughing.

"oh this should be an interesting adventure!" Grotimnos said ruefully.

Plebreath hacked and coughed before spitting out some more blood filled plhem, "ah yessss... A White Robe *wheeze* and a Black Robe travelling together... and of opposing schools *wheeze* of magic no less..."

It was true, the irony of the moment couldn't be left unchecket by the magic users, a White Robed Necromancer and a Black Robed Illusionist in the same party; this was proving to be a most entertaining day for the both of them.

After some forethought, the Black Robe turned to the Cleric-Reaper. "oh my, a vampiric Cleric *wheeze* now I've seen everything ahahaha *cough and spit*"

Obsidian gave a chuckle with his tongue hanging out and body tiled to the side "ahhhh hahahahhhh... yes a bit precurious in't it? funny thing that... Cerilics of Nightmare Moon _must_ be vampires, no gettin' 'round that little tart!"

Ironheart silently observed all in the room while Vanilla leaned against the wall.

"oh ya!" the Kensai suddenly spoke while turning to the vampire, "your name, Sparkle... are you?"

"naw, well ya, but naw..." the Reaper cut in, "I'm her great grand daddy's grand daddy's brother so, very distant relation" he finished nonchaluntly.

"well, we have the coordinants for our *wheeze* next destination... so everypony get some rest *wheeze* you'll need it." and with that, the Black Robe leaned against the wall in his seat on the bed while clutching his staff in his right hand for dear life.

Grotimnos hopped up on his own bed and leaned against the wall in a similar fashion, puttin his scythe down and holding his staff in his left hand in an iron grip.

Obsidian shrugged and left the room, "where are you going?" Vanilla asked.

"heh..." the vampire paused, "don't really tend to get a lot 'o sleep nowadays if ya catch my drift" he replied before leaving the room.

Vanilla huffed, this was to be a very... interesting experience.

But for now it was time to rest.

XXXXX

The CMC and their three new companions were getting ready to rest when a soldier came charging into the palace "MY LIEGE! The goblin army is upon us! Corshervon is demanding we surrender under threat of attacking the city!"

The King stood up from his throne, "ha! let them come!"

"but your highness, they've allied themselves with the Do'thraklin liegion!" the soldier cired.

The King paused, the Do'thraklin liegion... a group of inbred Barbarians with nothing to lose...

"hmm, set up defense formations around the city, awaken the Paladins and station them around the civilian settlements, evacuate the city through the south eastern entrance, have Rangers see them through safe passage." he commanded.

the Soldier bowed before sprinting out of the Palace.

the CMC and their companions came rushing out of the guest chambers "what's going on?" Omnifarious asked as he rubbed his eyes.

"dunno, but there's an awful lot uh noise outside" Applebloom remarked.

gearing up, the six ponies found their way downstairs.

Gumomo yawned "aawwwm, well that was a most unpleasant way to be awoken... oh dear..." the Unicorn entered into the Greath Hall to see soldiers and war mages filing through outside of the Castle.

the six ponies charged outside to see an army of goblins assulting the city, Paladins fighting them off, citizens fleeing, and then it came, a huge purple dragon entered the city; the Wizard riding it opened the protective dome with hardly any effort and closed it behind her.

The CMC's eyes widened as a fully grown and legendary status dragon landed infront of the Palace with a resounding rumble among the earth, the dragon's head turned to the invading goblins, emerald eyes flashing with battle rage, it opened it's sharp long mouth and let loose a torrent of green flames that incinerated dozens in a single fell swoop.

"...S-Spike?" Applebloom sputtered.

The dragon turned to see his old friend "Applebloom! I was wondering if I'd see you here!" he called in a loud deep rumbling voice exploding with power.

From there, a White Robed Wizard hopped off of his back.

The Wizard wielded a staff of the magi in her right hand, and a staff of power in her left.

"Twilight!" Sweetie Belle cired out.

The Grand Master Arch Majii turned with a smile on her face, her eyes were missing, replaced with empty sockets, her skin mummified and crisp.

"woah..." Sweetie recoiled.

Twilight waved her off with her armed hand, "oh relax, it's not _that_ bad"

"YOU'RE A LICH!" Sweetie cried.

Twilight shrugged, "had to find some way to beat death, I still have so much more to learn from this world." that having been said, the Wizard turned to face the goblin army and lifted her left arm up and spoke in an ancient arcane lunguage.

A violet glyph seperated from her wrist and grew into a large etheral ward, then flew high into the air; within moments, a malestorm of meteors rained down on the goblin and do'thraklin armies, killing hundreds in its wake.

Next she brought about another glyph raising from her wrist into the air, this one flew forward and expanded into a circular rune gate, spining slowly in the air as a door opened and from it, a Balrog emerged.

Everypony's jaws dropped.

The Barbarians still pressed on regardless, only to have a streak of rainbow flash through their ranks leaving a river of blood in it's wake, Rainbow Dash paused at the other end of the army with her two katanas dripping red.

from atop one of the buildings, a commander barked out orders when he gave out a sharp gasp and fell to his knees with a dagger in his back, Rarity slit his throat and hopped off the building landing over a dozen hooves below without a single injury.

"Rarity!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed.

A cave troll came charging through the ranks towards the Palace when a great axe bit into the top of his skull, it fell flat on its stomach, dead, with Applejack in full plate mail standing ontop of its neck.

Fluttershy stepped in behind the armies as they began to retreat, a large series of gren rune circles filled the air. From them poured forth dozens of equinewolves to charged in and tore the goblins apart.

The leader of the armies snapped his head around, seeing his soldiers fall left and right "no.. NO! wait..." he looked around at the six Legendary Heroes. "...where's the pink one? HURK!" a rapier impailed him from behind.

"HERE I AM!" Pinkie Pie shouted gleefully as she yanked the blade out from the Hob Goblin's back.

Pinkie quickly ducked as two goblins attempted to stab her, then lunged upward uppercutting them into the air before jumping up and spinning around with her sword, decapitating the both of them.

Hundreds Wyverns came flying through the air, they crashed into the city's shield a few time before breaking through, Barbarians riding on their backs.

They didn't get far before green flame plumed forth from Spike and engulphed a large chunk of them, the Dragon crashed into a seires of the wyverns, snapping his jaws and shredding with his giant claws.

The CMC and thier companions were awe struck when Twilight got their attention "ahem, you guys should probably get going." she recomended before turning to the battle.

"wha? but what about you guys!" Applebloom pleaded.

Twilight turned back to them with a cocky smile, "I think we can handle ourselves." then turned back to the battle and raised her staves, fireballs and lightning bolts launching forth into the fray.

Applebloom frowned but obeyed non the less and headed off towards the south eastern entrance with her companions in tow.

As the six of them approached the gate, they found themselves in the wake of a Wyvern Carriage which currently had a few goblins attempting to board it.

Gumomo unsheathed her bow, knocked an arrow, and sent it singing through the air with a THWL.

The arrow bit into the Goblin's back just as a follow up shot sunk into its skull, it limped over and fell to the ground unmoving.

Urversher charged up to the next goblin and with a cry he burst ki throughout his body as his Katana slashed at the shocked creature, the blade made a perfect slice along its torso and severed the spine clean through; the goblin spasmed and sputtered as his body fell apart into two halves.

Omifarious dashed up to the last goblin and launched into the air, bringing down the sharpened edge of his shield, it penetrated the goblin's flesh like a push dagger before Omni spun around to his left and attempted to slash the monster with the same shield; this time the goblin dodged it but didn't see the follow up of Omni's covered fist slamming into his face and sending him tumbling to the side.

The goblin rose and launched itself at Omni, hacking away with his crudely made shortsword, it was just enough force to cut through Omni's padded cloth armor and cut ever so slightly through his flesh.

Omni returned the attack with a rabbit punch of his shield blade, he scored a powerful critical strike on the goblin's neck, the thrust slicing straight through its throat; the goblin fell to the ground clutching its neck futily as blood rushed forth.

"QUICK GET ON!" Applejack shouted as she neared.

All of the party members hopped up on the carriage, including Omni who clambered up to the steering side, next to him Gumomo held the reigns before blinking.

"... do you even know how to drive a carriage?" Omni asked skeptically.

"..." Gumomo lowered the reigns "no..." she said foalishly.

the blue coated fighter snatched the reigns and snaped at them to draw the Wyvern's attention, they squaked as they rose to their hind legs in a rapter position with thier winged armes curled at their sides and charged off.

Once they reached a certain pace in speed, Omni pulled back on the reigns with a series of clicks of his mouth and the Wyverns lunged into the air with their wings spread; the carriage was dragged into the air.

They soared through the skies at a frightful speed, Omni pulled a lever that activated the enchanted equalizer within the cariage to keep it level with the Wyverns in a stasis counterbalance.

"ugh..." Scotaloo shook her queezy head, "that was almost as bad as the wush wagon.

Applebloom grabbed the Barbarian and pulled her close "never! never mention that thang ever again ya here?!"

Urversher looked over the carriage at the hundreds of ponies scattering below, the Rangers guiding them into the forests while the Paladins and soldiers fought alongside the Legendary Six against the invading armies.

"... hmm..." Urversher thought alowed methodically.

Sweetie Belle cocked an eye brow as she shifted next to the black Kensai, "what's up?"

Urversher blinked, "hm? oh... nothing," he looked back at the chaos of war with half lidded bright blue eyes, "some things just never change... Violence begets violence." he finished with a disgusted look on his face.

the Carriage took of towards the east.

Eventually the Wyverns became exausted from carrying such a load at such a speed.

Omni brought them down with the central area of the Large Forest Province, from there they would need to travel by hoof to their destination.

"well at least we got a carriage with us!" Scootaloo cried optomistically.

SQUAAAK!

"what... was that?" a large, and I mean LARGE, bird like creature swooped in and snatched the entire carrieg Wyverns and all in a single talon foot.

o.O "... ok... never mind..."

what followed them was a half hour of traveling before the oversized animals of the Large Forest cought their scent and moved in for some lunch.

the three adventurers turned to their left to see a greater Shedu trot out from the forest's huge greenery while from their right, a plant like creature with multiple tendrils crawled out.

The entire party drew their weapons.

the monsters got the go on initiative and struck first.

The Shedu gallopped for Urversher and swung with its hooves at him but missed on both accounts thanks to his dexterous dodging.

The Wolf-in-sheeps-clothing crawled for Gumomo and lashed out with its slimy tentrils, the first she agily dodged, the second whiped her side with a seering stinging snap, and the third strike landed on her head with a hard thwack. Gumomo shook her head out of the daze.

Now the CMC struck back, Applebloom hacked at the Shedu with her hand axes, both strikes bounced off of the creature's hide even with all of Applebloom's incredible strength.

Next Gumomo knocked two arrows between her fingers as she launched them at the tree stump plant creature, both arrows pierced into it's flesh cuasing it to squelch in a gooy cry of pain, the arrows did a massive amount of damage, shredding through the monster's internal biological system.

Omnifarious Decided to aide Gumomo and lunged at the creature with his shield "hyyyyaaaaa!" he shouted as his shield slashed at the creature, the edge took off one of it's tendril eyes leaving it wailing in agony, his next strike with his shield however missed, and his closed fist bounced off of the bark of the monster's torso.

Urversher's eyes flashed with battle rage as he sprinted passed the Shedu with a powerful slash of his sword, unfortunately the Shedu saw it coming and ducked under the blow.

Scootaloo roared as red ki flared through her body sending it into a Berserker Fit; she charged at the Shedu putting all of her battle rage into her strength and swinging her war hammer and battle axe with insane fury, the creature dodged the deadly axe but was unable to avoide the hammer slamming into its shoulder with incredible force, the impact didn't cause too much damage but it atleast did something.

Sweetie Belle also attempted to strike the creature with her broadsword and dagger both in offensive stance, with a slash of her broadsword and two swings of her dagger, only one of the knife slashes made a successful hit, the blade sliced through the hide and left its mark.

As the next round began, the CMC's Warriors and bard were all too ready and got the first strike in.

Applebloom made for another hack and slash with her two axes, this time both strikes made it through the hide of the Shedu and it felt the full fury of Applebloom's ogre strength, the axes choped their way into the monster's shoulders causing a spurt of blood to rise into the air, at last the creature was showing signs of true damage.

Gumomo knocked another two arrows, one missed, another bounced off of the tree trunk torso of the plant monster, but the third arrow that she quickly managed to get off hit home, greenish black goup poured out from the wound; the monster looked like it was just barely keeping it together, it stumbled and swayed.

Omnifarious swung his shield around with a battle cry and took of the monster's other eye, the creature fell to the ground, conquered and bleeding out its black ooze.

Urversher spun around for another strike at the Shedu his sword slashed through the creature's rear, however the follow up strike glanced off of its hide.

Sweetie Belle began singing out in a bardic tune, bossting everypony's moral as she hacked with her broadsword and dagger for three more strikes, the first was a complete and utter miss, the first strike with her dagger missed and the second strike with her dagger bounced off of its hide wiht such furry that she nearly lost her grip on her dagger.

Scootaloo made another go at the Shedu with her Berserker fury, her battle axe bit into its thick back while her hammer's clumsy swing was easilly dodged by the monster.

Now the Shedu retaliated with its own strikes, this time it targeted Sweetie Belle and launched its powerful hooves at her but missed on both accounts.

For the next round, the Shedu moved to quick for the CMC and struck out with its hooves at Scootaloo, one of the hooves connected landing a powerful blow but it didn't even seem to phaze the Barbarian.

Applebloom spun around swinging her axes with a roar of fury, the first cleaved its way into the creature's ribs busting bones, the second one was narrowly avoided.

Gumomo spun around and launched off two arrows, the first one was a perfect shot right to the monster's throat while the second arrow whized by its head.

Omni turned around and lanched his shield like a deadly frizbee at the Shedu, unfortunately it completely missed and sunk into a nearby tree, he then charged at the beast with his fist raised.

Urversher roared with a kiai shout as he lunged into the air and dive bombed at the monster, the ki flared through his Katana as it sliced clean through the monster, Urversher stood back up once he landed and flicked his Katana cleaning it of blood before sheathing it and stopping an inch away from the hilt meeting the scabbard; the Shedu looked frozen like a statue. Urversher sheated the last bit of his Katana as the Shedu's head slid off exposing layers of muscles and blood vessles beneath, the red liquid spurted into the air while the body galloped in place before falling over limp.

The party let out a breath of relief and sheathed their weapons.

Omnifarious walked over to his shield and dug it out of the tree, Gumomo attempted to salvage her arrows, only three of them were still useable.

Scootaloo roared with fury, her Berserker Fit driving her into blood lust.

"oh ponyfeathers..." Applebloom groaned, everypony turned to the Barbarian who was heaving and twitching.

Urversher 'hmmed' "so this is the 'berserker fit' of the Barbarians..." he said monotonously to nopony in particular.

Sweetie Belle and Applebloom cautiosly approached the Barbarian, "ok come one Sctoots, you know us..."

Scootaloo mentaly fought against the rage but failed, she lunged after Sweetie Belle who yelped and began running "WHY DOES SHE ALWAYS PICK ON ME!" she whined as she fleed from the Barbarian.

"BECAUSE YOU'RE A MAGIC USER... SORT OF!" Applebloom replied as she chased after the raging Pegasus.

The other three companions stared with sweat drops at the comedic scene.

But at last Scootaloo's rampaging came to a stop as her running slowed and the red aura flared around her dispersed, her will having overcame it, "uhhhh..." she stumbled a bit before falling to the ground.

"oh thank Celestia!" Sweetie sighed while bending over and supporting herself on her legs with several pants.

The group debated travelling for a few more hours and decided to risk it just to make some head way, fortunately they were undisturbed for the rest of the journey and managed to find a nice shady area surrounded by brush and oversized bushes to camp out in.

(Sweetie Belle has leveled up)

After tents were raised and plates layed down, pots set up, everypony sat down for some food, Omnifarious used some local herbs around the forest to suplement everypony's rations in a delicious stew. After consuming the well earned meal, wounds were tended to, Applebloom used her herbalist knowledge to patch everypony up who'd sustained damage. Sweetie Belle managed to talk Scootaloo into letting her use her clerical magic to heal her, the wounds stitched themselves not even leaving a scar behind.

Sweetie Belle also(though reluctantly so) healed Gumomo.

As Omnifarious finished cleaning up the cooking utensiles while Gumomo took his padded cloth armor and pulled out a kit of assorted sewing needles, she pulled a needle out and made a quick glance to make sure that no eyes on her, once she was satisfyed, she slathered her tongue around inside her mouth before building up some of her natural webbing, bringing the eye of the needle into her mouth, she linked a thick strand of silky thread unto it and pulled the needle out until half a full 12 inches of thread were attatched, she gave a small bite, the secretion on her teeth allowing it to cut through the thread as she pulled the needle away from her lips.

Her violet eyes carefully watched the end of the strand as she wrapped it around her finger a few times before pulling it into a knot.

With that, the Unicorn pierced the needle through the slash on the cloth armor of Omni's jean jacket and pulled the threat all the way through until the knot hit, then she looped the needle through again and pulled the needle under the loop of threat and pulled it taught for increased strength; she repeated this methodical process while humming to herself.

Just as Omni finished packing away his cooking supplies, Applebloom plopped down next to him, "so ya said ya'll were from Equestria, what part?" she asked curiosly.

Omnifarious looked up while chewing his lip thoughtfully, "well, a nice little village... heh, it's kinda funny, neither of my parents were Earth Ponies, yet... well, yet I ended up like this" he gestured to his body, "but I was never really as strong as the others... Earth Ponies I mean, but I still made friends; and my parents always belived that I could excell at whatever I put my mind to. It was a nice life actually." he looked down smiling at the dirt.

Applebloom blinked while tilting her head, "well, why'd ya'll leave then?"

Omnifarious chewed on his saliva in thought.

"Ah'm sorreh, Ah didn't mean ta pry..." Applebloom said looking guilty.

"oh! no, no, it's fine really!" the Blue Earth pony assured while waving his hands comedically, "eheh... I never really, well I never really found my 'place' you know? I couldn't quite..." he looked off into the distance, "I couldn't find my special talent, I felt like I was sort of like one of those shape playing things that foals use to help them learn, you know the one with the triangles cirlces and squares and the hollowed out box to put them trhrough? I always felt like the undersized circle, I can fit into any shape but... I don't really belong in any of them, it's wierd and that probably doesn't make sense I know..."

"naw, Ah think it makes perfect sense" the Ranger said as she patted the Fighter on the back with a warm smile.

Omnifarious chuckled, "ya..." he blew the thick strand of black mane out of his face, "well anyway, I somehow found myself traveling with 'that'," he gestured towards Gumomo with his thumb.

"I take offense to that." the black Unicorn said absentmindedly without really paying attention as she continued to stitch.

"and then well," Omni continued, "we ended up here taking up a contract for the King." he finished.

Applebloom nodded with a smile, "well Ah'm glad the universe slapped us tahgether" Omnifarious smiled back.

At last Gumomo finished up Omni's jacked and rose into the air stretching while popping the bones in her back, "ahhh! oh ladies..." she called while batting her eyelashes.

Applebloom and Scootaloo turned at the sound of her seductive voice.

Gumomo gave a shake of her head cuasing her white mane's noble curles to fluf in the air while she leaned on her hip flirtatiously, "anypony care to help a mare set up her tent?"

Applebloom and Scootaloo quickly looked to eachother before dashing forwared, yanking at eachother's hooves and clampbering over oneanother until they both stumbled up to Gumomo's hooves.

"I WILL!" they both exclaimed in unison, then looked at eachother with glares.

"fillies, fillies, there's pleanty of me to go around." she giggled tantalizingly.

The Ranger and Barbarian then proceeded to set up the Unicorn's tent while elbowing eachother along the way and fighting over each ligament of the contraption.

The whole time Sweetie Belle glared at her two friends as she plopped down on her rump with a hurumph! her cheeks puffed our foalishly as she fumed in jealousy, it wasn't that she wanted her friend's physical attraction that would just creep her out, but she liked being the center of attention and having everypony fawn over her.

"Im guessing your the pretty one..."

Sweetie Belle yelped as she jumped in the air and landed painfully on her tail.

"ow... what?" she looked over to see Urversher's dark form standing silent and cold.

The Pegasus calmly sat down in a practiced crosslegged sit, his main sheathed Katana grasped in his left hand.

"I'm just guessing but, Scootaloo seems like the dumb muscle, Appebloom the voice of reason and widome, and you the pretty one." he elaborated.

Sweetie Belle's eyes went downcast, "...maybe..."

"hmmm... you feel threatened by her."

"GAWAH?! I do not! w-why would I feel threatened by that undignified hussy! th-that's absured! J-just because she's beautiful and flirtatious and get's everypony's eye doesn't mean she's like, better than me or anything! That's ridiculous!" Sweetie Belle shrieked over defensively.

Urversher's bright blue eyes blinked, "oh, my mistake then!" he said cheerfully.

Sweetie Belle did a double take, it was a little unerving how this Kensai could go from so quiet, cold looking, and eyes steeled as if he were ready to commit murder any second; and suddenly switch to bright and bubbly when conversation struck up.

"...I think you have some major issues, no offense." Sweetie commented.

Urversher went quiet with a slight cringe on his lips, his eyes glazing over with memories.

Scotalloo and Applebloom finally finished setting up the tent as they sprinted over to Gumomo, yanking on eachother's manes and shoving eachother along the way, when they arrived behind her, Scootaloo shoulder rammed Applebloom out of sight before she came up behind Scootaloo and put her in a head lock only to throw her to the other side.

Scootaloo tackled Applebloom's legs and the two wrestled around on the ground until Gumomo turned around with a raised eye brow.

"IT'S DONE!" they both shouted out with stupid grins on their faces.

"awww, you're such noble knights." she giggled before leaning down to give each of them a kiss on the nose and then walking off to her tent, "good night sweeties!" she sang out and then retreated into her tent.

"GOOD NIGHT!" the Ranger and Barbarian called out with hearts floating above their heads, they both fell to the ground with happy sighes.

"oh get over yourselves!" Sweetie Belle shouted at her friends.

Hours passed, Urversher was dreaming of his foalhood, so long ago now...

the young colt ran around his homestead atop a meadowy hill, his parents had finally finished up gathering the necessary foods for winter and thusly, they had a day to simply relax.

Urversher ran for a few more minutes, he thought idly that he should be heading back home about now but decided to go have some more fun first.

making airplane noises, he found his way climbing up a tree to get a good view of the farm, laying back against a thick branch, he dozed off.

his eyes awoke in the tree, it seemed as if he'd merely blinked yet the sun low in the sky begged to differ.

His head turned to his side to see his homestead... it was on fire.

"wha!" he nearly fell out of the stree as he clumsilly clambered his way down.

Sprinting he made his way back to the hill, but when he reached its apex his eyes were molested with the sight of his home in flames, but then his eyes turned to an even more hideous sight, his Mother held in a bandit's arms, struggling kicking and screeming while his father fought to save her; he swung blindly with fists he didn't really know how to use, the bandits laughed as they kicked him down.

One of them rolled his eyes as they lifted up and axe and drove it into the back of Urversher's Father.

His Mother was thrown to the ground, clothes ripped off and violated.

"MOOOMYYYY!"

The bandits raised their heads to see the young colt on the edge of the hill.

Down by the forest, an elderly old stallion walked along the meadow supported by his cane.

as he walked, his head turned to see smoke rising from atop the hill.

"hmm... I'm too late then..." he thought aloud just as a young colt came barrelling down the mountain with three bandits chasing after him.

Just as they reached the bottom of the hill, one of the bandits yanked Urversher up by his hair and put him in a bear hug.

The colt struggled futiley against the bandit as the other two drew their weapons.

With tears running down his face, the colt shrieked, black spikes launched out from his back and impailed the bandits behind him.

Urversher awoke in the middle of the Large Forest Province drawing his Katana in panic.

"woah! s'th matter with you?" Scootaloo called.

Urversher shook his head, "nothing... just a nightmare."

END OF CHAPTER


	3. A Chance Meeting

CHAPTER 3

A Chance Meeting

-the will of a single being may change the course of history, or derail all of its own kind into the annals of forgotten history, just a footnote on the long since abandoned well of shattered hopes and dreams- excerpt from _the secret book of Bemnal the Fallen_

A nightmare... or a dream? Grotimnos wouldn't know until he awoke, but for now he was a young colt again. No, even younger; a story that he'd persuaded his parents to tell him oh so long ago...

"ya take that filth out of our town!" Braeburn shouted on the edge of Appleoosa, his familly behind him with torches and pitch forks, everypony glaring at the Unicorn mare with her arms outstretched in protection of her husband.

Braeburn's mouth twisted in disgust, "how can ya defend that _thing!_"

The mare glared, "he's a pony just like the rest of us!"

"he's a bucking monster!"

"I love him!"

"Then love yer demon somewhere else, Ah won't have non of it in mah town!"

And so the Unicorn and her Changeling husband were cast out of Appleoosa forever.

Some time later, the two were residing within the Eeverfree Forest and on Nightmare Night no less...

"Come on push!" the Changeling instructed to his wife.

The Unicorn did so, she pushed and forced the foal out with her last bit of strength before blacking out.

The Changeling father held a rather large egg in his hands, within seconds the egg hatched; and an adorable little abomination blinked large almondy eyes at his father.

Years later...

"Grotimnos?" The Unicorn mother called as she searched around for the energetic colt; "ugh, now where did that rascal get off too?"

"raaawr!" a little five year old Grotimnos hopped ontop of her back.

"there you are!" she lifted her arms behind her head and picked him up.

"hi mommy!" he cried happilly.

"well hello there, I have a little gift for you honey, here." she placed the colt on the ground and pulled out a pair of knitted socks, "mommy and daddy want you to alllways wear these ok? can you do that for us honey?"

"MM!"

Time passed and the age came about for the little colt to attend school...

Mss. Cheerilee sat in her Teacher's desk infront of the class, "good morning everypony, today we have a new student." she gestured with her hand towards a blue colt with an orange mane.

_*are you breathing? orginal song by Disturbed*_

*wake up are you alive? listen to me, I'm gonna talk about some freaky shit now*

The colt gave a nervous wave.

Months past, few friends and far between; fights oh yes, lots of fights.

_*somepony's gonna die will you listen to me?*_

"Hey did you hear? everypony's saying that creep over there can shapeshift!"

"really? I bet he's one of those freaky changelings"

*_are you breathing now, do the wicked see you? are you brea-thing!?*_

"what's a changeling?"

"what are you stupid? their sick incubi and succubi that rape and kill ponies"

"wha! I don't wanna hang around that freak anymore!"

*_let the living die, let the living die SEE!?_*

a quiet colt sat far off in the lone corner of the room day by day, hearing the words of all the other little colts and fillies.

"freak!"

"pervert!"

"murderer!"

"CHANGELING!"

Day by day, a little voice began to grow inside the quiet lone colt.

*_are you breathing now? do the wicked see you? you still breathing you're making me known..._*

"nopony wants you here you freak!"

"get out you disgusting mutant!"

The young colt walked through the hallways of the school each and every day as bullies shoved and pushed him but each and everytime he remained silent, head cast down.

Always trying to follow his mother's advice. And his father's code.

We do not hurt innocent ponies, ever.

_*what's up I wonder why, do you listen to me? I'm gonna get into some freaky shit now. Insane, you're gonna die will you listen to me? let the living die, let the living die, SEE!_*

The voice steadilly grew louder as a few months past.

Shoved into lockers, spit upon, pranked relentlessly, laughed at, emotionally tortured and isolated.

Thrown away by the other cruel colts and fillies.

Soon, few friends became no friends as rumors spread.

*_are you breathing now? do the wicked see you? YOU STILL BREATHING!*_

shoved into the locker room, cornered by four colts taking turns shoving him back and forth between them, all the while spewing out insults and jeers, "freak!" "loser!" "changeling!" "monster!" sicko!" "I bet even your parents don't love you freak!"

Pushed into one of the tiles of the locker room, the quiet little colt fell to the ground coddling his injured body.

The voice was so loud now, practically screeming. Looking up, the little colt saw the darndest thing... A baseball bat...

*_can you imagine how good going through with this will make you feel?_*

Eye twitch, it twitched over and over has breath quickened and the body spasmed, adrenalin surging forth.

"awww, the wittle colt is gonna cry!"

*_I promise, nopony will ever know_*

The little colt slowly rose to his hooves.

"oh look! look! the freak's getting back up!"

*_there will be no chance of you getting caught_*

One of the colts came up behind the quiet one and shoved him to the ground, right infront of the storage bag with the bat no less.

_*they never loved you anyway_*

The little injurd colt shakilly started to rise, but his time he grabbed hold of the bat's handle.

*_so come on, be a stallion,_*

The nice quiet little colt stood all the way up, the end of the bat scrapped accross the tiled flooring.

_*and do what you are compelled to DO!_*

The quiet little colt's shoulder's rose and fell with thick heavy breaths.

*SAVE ME CELESTIA!*

And then... the nice quiet little colt wasn't so nice anymore...

A viscious 180 spin around and the bat cracked into one of the ponie's heads, he fell to the ground with a sickening thud.

"WHAT THE HAY!?"

*_I CAN HERE THE VOICE BUT I DON'T WANNA LISTEN_,*

The little colt shrieked as he charged forward swinging blindly with rage, breaking limbs and shattering ribcages, the colts cried out for their mothers.

*_STRAP ME DOWN AND TELL ME I'LL BE ALRIGHT! I CAN FEEL A SUBLIMINAL NEED TO BE ONE WITH THE VOIICE AND MAKE EVERYTHING ALL-*_

"he's gone pyscho! glagh!"

Stomach turning 'pings' filled the locker room as the metal of the bat connected with anything it could target, relentlessly smashing and destroying all organic matter in its path.

*_I CAN HEAR THE VOICE BUT I DON'T WANNA LISTEN, I CAN FEEL A SUBLIMINAL NEED TO BE ONE WITH THE VOICE AND MAKE EVERYTHING ALL RIGHT!*_

Mss. Cheerilee looked in horror at the paning colt covered in splatters of blood.

"I'm sorry but I cannot allow him to continue attending this school, it's a miracle that nopony died! Most of them are intensive care and not to mention the par-" Cheerilee trailed on while the little colt stared silently at the ground.

A couple weeks later, a filly was introduced to the class, but she had the same quiet cold eyes as the colt.

Several days after that, two fillies started picking on the new student. The quiet filly's dark eyes met theres with a blood chilling glare but before anything could take place, three kind fillies joined the fray.

"leave her alone ya bullies!" came the farmer voice of a yellow filly.

The quiet filly turned to see the cutie mark crusaders rush to her aid.

Afterwards, the three fillies became the first ponies in a long time to be nice to the quiet filly.

After a time, it started to rub off on her and bit by bit, the quiet filly started to become nice again.

A few years later, Grotimnos found his way into Ponyville's library; with Unicorn blood in his veins, he had the same capacity for magic as any other of the horned race; it had come time for him to begin thinking about his path in magic.

Sifting through the various books and introductory tomes, Grotimnos came accross a black book bound in bones.

Interest piqued, he opened the tome to unveil a library of necromantic knowledge.

Days upon days were spent studying dubiously within the library, focusing upon the intricacies of the immortal soul not truly diying, merely leaving the body when it becomes to weak and frail to sustain the soul's presence. The body was merely a tool, a vessel; one that could be used by others with enough talent.

From there, the colt practice his art dubilantly, days drew closer and closer to his adolescent years, then something happened one day...

the little colt sat infront of a dead rat within the forest, unlike other Wizards who needed to ascend to a high level of spell craft before gaining the ability to reanimate a corps, a necromancer could train their minds and souls to infuze reverse entropic energy through their bodies as more of a 'power' than a spell.

Holding his hands over the dead animal, Grotimnos's eyes went slack and empty, his hands vibrated slightly as a humming sound escaped his lips.

Grass around him began to wither and waste away, the trees srounding his position creaked and groaned, the colt himself felt as though he were on the edge of death, his own heart slowing down to a beat per minute, his body wavered and began losing balance.

And then he saw it, at the edge of the Fade, a large ocean of blue ethereal currents and inside them was a dirge of souls.

"and we shall let a river flow unto thee, and teeming with souls shall it ever be..." Grotimnos whispered under his breath, his will power reached forth and snatched up a chunk of the soulus-stuff, the grey light warm mixture sat within his body of light's hand.

A flash of light within the colt's mind and he was sitting back in the forest on the physical plane, infront of him sat the dead rat, in his physical hand sat a clump of soulus-stuff, he gently placed it onto the dead rat's body, the energy flowed forth into the rat's corpse.

For minutes, nothing happened.

Grotimnos frowned as he thought his effort gone to waste, but just as he began to stand up, the rodent lurched and squeeled before uprighting itself shakilly, its shambeling corpse stood at attention despite its crushed skull.

the colt's eyes lit up with joy, "YAY!" he hopped up and down in celebration, his very first reanimated corpse. "wooohoooo!... ugghhh.." the colt plopped down onto his rear, hunger and exaustion beginning to take over from the trauma he'd put his body and soul through.

Grotimnos yawned before setting off towards his homestead, fantasies of a big hot meal made by his mother played through his mind.

Grotimnos stalked his way up to his homestead, but as he drew close, a very uncomfortable feeling began welling up in the pit of his stomach, he could of swore that he heard a voice within his head screaming at him not to touch the door handle, when he did, he awoke with a start.

Grotimnos sat within the iglue inn ontop of a bed with his lower back against the wall, his torso hunched over slightly and panting, it wasn't the first time he'd had that dream and it most likely would not be the last, though he'd trained his mind to wake him up before the last part... The worst yet most important part of his past, that one special day that crudely sculped him into the stallion he was today.

Grotimnos put a hand to his forehead as she groaned, his scythe lay at his side while his staff remained clenched in an iron grip within his left hand.

The red stallion turned to his side to see Vanilla resting against the wall beside her bed with Ironheart laying his head on her lap in a peacefull sleep as the Earth pony stroked the side of his head.

"methinks thy both hast known oneanother for a while?" the stallion asked.

Vanilla tilted her head, "what's up with the wierd talking?"

Grotimnos blinked, "this be how I always speak."

Vanilla frowned, "no, you weren't talking like that yesterday."

Grotminos waved a dismissive hand, "I was... very tired from the beforetime journey."

"hmm... m'whatever." Vanilla replied with a shrug.

"HUH HUM WHA?!" Palebreath exclaimed as he awoke from his sleep.

Both ponies stared at the stallion, "ah... *wheeze* good day to the two *pant* of you..." Palebreath rasped out, "oh, I just *wheeze* remembered *wheeze* something, it's rather *pant* important; there was one last *gag and spit* argh! One last member accompanying us."

The Black Robed Illusionist held out a dodsier which the White Robe Necromancer stood and took.

A picture of a female Unicorn, white coated and adorned with a black mane ingrained with a red rose stripe along its length, the manes length from the sides and back went down to her chin with long bangs framing both sides of her face. Her eyes were dark hue of blue, her body was a very beautiful and young figure with average bust and covered in a white trenchcoat, the center of it just barely open revealed a crimson corset beneath as well as a black wizard robe highly concealed.

"Name: 'Queen' Thorn of the Black Rose. Race: Unicorn. Gender: Female. Choice of Proffessional Persuit: Wizard Enchanter. Age: Appears 18, true age unknown. Mental State: Suspected repressed memories. Experience: Seasoned. Misc: Member of the Archlight nobel house." Grotimnos read off.

"huh, so three fancy spellcasters, wow..." Vanilla comented as she leaned back against the wall.

Palebreath cuckled before openeing his spell book and began the process of mentally drawing runes within his psyche while physically tracing an ethereal glyph in the air with his off hand as he recorded the spell's arcane-mechanical workings from his book, this process needed to be repeated by any Wizard at the start of each and every day, the trade off was that they could do this with every single spell available to them.

After the spells were memorized, a Wizard would use up the aloted spells for each spell level until they were no longer able to cast any more spells for that day even if they still had other spells memorized at which point the remaining spells would dissappear from their psyche and body and would be required to be retraced the following day.

Once the glyph was drawn, it floated down onto Palebreath's exposed forearm, and soon another glyph of another spell joined it, and another and another and so on.

Grotimnos turned back to Vanilla, "but thy still did not answer mine question, were did hast thou both known eachother for long endtime?"

Vanilla looked down at the Assassin sleeping in her lap, then she smiled, "ya... I've known him for a long time, he's like a little brother to me; I guess it started back when we were foals, I got into a lot of fights and 'cause I was sick of how anoying everypony was, not to mention my drunk abusive asshole of a dad tended to put me in a sour mood every day.

Ironheart on the other hand... I saw him getting picked on one day by some foals who were always pissing me off so I kicked all their asses save for one, that one's head Ironheart had bashed a rock over, we stared at eachother for a while and I don't know why but I kinda liked the look of him, he was lost and out of place like me, and a natural scrapper.

From there we became close friends and always watched eachother's backs, it wasn't until he killed his brother and I killed my dad that we had to skip town, I'm not gonna say what issues Ironheart had with his brother since that's his business, when we were about halfway outside the city, this really punk ass looking middled aged bitch pops out of nowhere.

Heh... turns out she saw the whole thing along with her brother who happened to be an Assassin opperating within the area, guess they liked what they saw, they offered to hide us from the guards if we stayed with them for a while. So this really butch baddass mare brings us up to this huuuuge bucking mountain right? And turns out she's like one of those bucking, ancient kung fu bitches or whatever, anyway she started training me in everything I know about swordplay today, and her brother tought Ironheart the arts of the Assassin.

There was this one other master up there too, a couple months after me and Ironheart got up there this old fart brings up this snot nosed brat, Urversher I think his name was, gosh I was such an ass to him in the beginning, we became rivals pretty quick and pushed eachother to be the best we could possibly be, he's actually a pretty cool guy I haven't seen him in forever.

Anyway, once me and Ironheart finished our training, we headed out into Ébány as merceneries and the rest is history I guess.

Grotimnos let out a whistle, "quite a history, methought Ironheart was part of a guild or some such."

Vanilla smiled down at the sleeping Pegasus, "ya you'd think so wouldn't you? I think one day he's gonna bust into some guild and rip through their ranks until he kills the leader, then he can set up his own guild in the area."

Grotimnos blinked, "that... seems... nice?"

Vanilla laughed, "that's how Assassins work, you either work your way to the top or you kill your way there, your choice."

"indeed..."

Vanilla reached a hand into her kimono and pulled out an old picture, within it was a punk looking mare, a grizzled old stallion, a tall dark and concealed stallion, and infront of them three foals, one was Ironheart holding a ridiculously large lolipop while to his left was Vanilla with her arm hanging over a black colt's shoulders and posing for the picture wth her tongue sticking out and fingers making a 'peace' sign. Vanilla smiled at the fond memory.

Grotimnos shook his head quickly before pulling out his own spellbook and getting to work on studying his spells for the day.

An hour or two later, the four ponies had eaten breakfast and were relaxing comfortably when a loud boisterous Vampire busted his way into the room, "'Ello mopets!" the lavender Stallion called, his two long strands of purple mane coming down from his hood dangled freely as he walked with his scythe on his back.

"I think we might wants'es to be gettin' outah 'ere 'meediately." The Reaper stated bluntly.

Palebreath quirked an eyebrow, "and why would that be?"

"well...-"

"AAIIIIEEEEE! HELP! SOMEPONY'S BEEN MURDERED!"

"that would be why!"

Grotimnos groaned, "Vampires..." he said in an annoyed tone while shaking his head.

Vanilla peeked out the exit from the inn to see guards and civilians frantically gaggling about, "... what'd you kill a familly or something?"

"..."

"WHAT?! You seriously killed an entire familly!" The Kensai barked.

Obsidian smiled maniacly, "the li'ule daugh'er was particularly scrumtious!" he mocked while licking his fangs.

Palebreath facepalmed, "idiot, so much for not *wheeze* drawing attention!"

Grotimnos rose and turned towards the wall, "we're going to need a hasty retreat." The Unicorn placed his scythe and staff on their ends while his telekinesis held them in place while his left arm lifted up in a defensive fashion, a glyph lifted off his arm into the air, his inner psyche released its arcane energies while he uttered an incantation of the ancient arcane language.

The glyph expanded from his forearm and stood infront of him three inches long and tall while his hands were held out infront of him, thumbs touching and fingers spread wide like a fan with the glyph inbetwen them.

As Grotimnos spoke the incantation, a jetstream cone of fire erupted from his hands and ignited the ice blockade of the inn's iglue wall.

Within seconds, the jet stream gave out and what once was a wall was now a large hole leading into the snowy wasteland of Borsiúm.

Grotimnos grabbed his backpack, slung it on, and grabbed his scythe and staff out of the air before charging out into the snowy tundra, his close connection with death magic alowing his body to go into hypothermic temperatures without ill effect.

Next, Obsidian dashed forth with his Vampiric speed, grabbed his own pack, and sped out the hole, everypony else suited up in snow gear before grabbing their supplies and hurrying away from the scene.

Outside a blizzard raged and high speed winds pressed against the five ponies who trudged through the snow.

At the end of the blizzard, the group saw a carriage of all things in the distance, two Wyverns pulling the carriage huddled together for warmth.

When the ponies reached the carriage, they didn't hesitate to bust into the vehical while Obsidian hopped up in the driver's seat.

"EXCUSE YOU!" a mare cried from within the back seat of the carriage.

"sorry but we must commendeer this vehical, I hope thy unders-*bonk* ow!" Grotimnos rubbed his head where the amythest heart atop a Wizard's staff had smacked him.

The White Robe looked up to see a beautiful teenage appearing mare in a trench coat with blue eyes and a black mane adorning a red rose stripe.

"um... wouldst thou mayhap be Tho-*bonk*"

"ooooh! You little ruffian! Out, out OUT!" Thorn proceeded to whack her staff at the Necromancer who flailed his staff and scythe around in response.

"ack! Cut that out!" After a few parrying swings, the Necromancer accidentaly sunk the scythe's blade into the carriage interior just shy of hitting the Enchantress' head.

"oh! Ah, I'm sorry! that was not intentional I swear!"

"grrrr..." Thorn lifted up her left arm, a glyph rose into the air as she spoke an incantation, a green arrow formed infront of her.

"WAIT NO HOLD ON!"

The Enchantress jutted her hand forward as the acidic arrow launched itself at the Necromancer.

Grotimnos just barely rose his arms in time, his arcane knowledge providing a powerful boost to his magical resistance, the arrow hit him and the acid began sizzling around his white leoperd skin robe and through a thin layer of his chest's skin; the pain was agonizing.

"Thorn *wheeze* please re-*bonk*" Palebreath attempted only to have the firey mare whack him in the maw with her staff

Palebreath rubbed his face before squinting his eyes and lifting his staff, a sticky series of web strands launched out and latched temselves around the mare, attatching her to the back corner of the carriage.

"THEY'RE GETTING AWAY! I KNEW SOMETHING WAS ODD ABOUT THOSE STRANGERS!" A hobbit guard yelled as he and his companions came pooling into the battlefield wielding crossbows and launching various bolts into the carriage.

Startled, the Wyverns took off at a sprint with Vanilla and Ironheart in the driver's seat attempting to control their reigns.

"I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE A CARRIAGE!" Vanilla screemed.

Down inside the vehical, the three Wizards and the Cleric were in for a bumbpy ride as the carriage rocked and shook from the frenzied Wyverns dragging it through the icy tundra.

Thorn yanked her left hand against the webbing with all her strength and managed to rip her arm free, immediately she summoned up a glyph.

The Illusionist recognized it immediately, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU FOOL?!"

BOOM! The fireball exploded within the carriage sending everypony flying out unto the snow covered wastes.

The three Wizards and Cleric having taken the brunt of the spell, now dealt with its full effects.

Palebreath was singed and barely standing, Grotimnos wasn't faring much better, Thorn although badly burned, seemed a tad bit better off than the other two magic users; Obsidian had several parts of his body reduced to ash being that Vampires and fire don't really mix, had he not successfully resisted the full effects of the spell, he'd be a pile of ash at the moment.

Vanilla and Ironheart were thrust a dozen hooves forward before slamming into the compacted snow.

Ofcourse, Palebreath himself was not harmed, because of his particular training in illusionary spells, he was able to resist them, 'smart filly...' Palebreath chuckled to himself, in truth, what had transpired in actuality was nothing more than Thorn unleashing and Advanced Illusion spell to make everypony within the radius think that they had been struck by a viscious fireball.

As the seemingly severely injured Wizards stood shakilly back up, Palebreath rose his left hand, "ENOUGH OF THIS!" from his hand rose a glyph of his own Advanced Illusion spell, using an identical spell of equal power cancelled out Thorn's illusion and left all three ponies along with the Vampire sitting within the carriage with Thorn still stuck in the web, although she'd managed to free most of her body by this point.

Nopony was injured, Vanilla and Ironheart were still atop the carriage attempting to drive it.

"Very *wheeze* clever... I like that..." The old stallion rasped with a split lip smile.

Thorn scowled, "well you have my attention I suppose..."

Grotimnos shook his dazed head, "verilly... ugh, a-anyway, we were _trying_ to say that we are the Guild members thy were informed to randevouze with." the Necromancer explained.

Thorn blinked, "...Ah... That would explain a few things... Well then, my appologies, I am Thorn of the Black Rose" she made a little sitting curtsey.

"HEY! JUST TO REMIND YOU ALL, THERE'S A GROUP OF PISSED OFF MUNCHKINS CHASING AFTER US!" Vanilla shrieked from above.

Thorn cringed, "ah, yes... I'd better help out." She skillfully climed out of the carriage and found his way to the driver's seat.

As the hobbits chased after them while ccontinuing to fire their bolts, Thorn guided the Wyverns expertly towards the edge of the frozen forest and within minutes, they'd lost their pursuers.

Once they had escaped their pursuers and stopped by the immortal river, the six ponies exited the carriage.

"well then, I believe we should all get aquainted with oneanother!" Thorn suggested as she gave a curtsey, "I am Queen Thorn of the Black Rose.

Vanilla nodded her head upwards in a 'sup?' motion, "Vanilla Sanguine."

The Assassin next to her gave a tiny nod, "this is Ironheart, he doesn't talk much."

The Cleric then leaned forward with his scythe resting on his shoulders, "Obsidian Sparkle luv, charmed"

The Black and White Robe stepped forward respectively, "Palebreath." "Grotimnos" they said with a nod.

"ah, very good then. Now that introductions are out of the way, I'd like to get a bit of your blood."

"... Come again?"

"Oh don't worry, it's for a series of scrying spells incase we get dreadfully seperated." The Enchantress corrected.

After further communication and the collecting of a small drop of blood, the group returned to the carraige, however along the way Palebreath put a hand on Grotimnos' shoulder, "hm?" the Necromancer turned.

"I almost forgot, here." The Illusionist handed the red stallion a dosier.

"another recruite? Methinks we cannot handle yet another..." The Necromancer responded.

"no, no this is a target *wheeze* that must be eliminated." Palebreath stated matter of factly.

Grotimnos rose an eye brow, "thy realizes we do have a porper Assassin in this group yes?"

Palebreath nodded, "the Guild *wheeze* wants this done *wheeze* right, this pony *wheeze* isn't easy *pant* to get close to *hack and spit* and magic will make a very large difference."

Grotimnos let out an incredulous, 'uhuh...' before opening the dosier.

Inside was the photograph of a yellow mare with a red mane done up in southern style curls with a big bow tie in it.

Grotimnos' eyes widened, he knew full well who this was considering that he'd grown up with her and her friends.

"Name: Applebloom. Race: Earth Pony. Gender: Female. Choice of Proffessional Persuit: Warrior-Ranger. Age: 20. Mental State: Mentally healthy. Experience: light. Misc: Believed to possess Ogre strength; sister to the legendary hero Applejack." Grotimnos read off.

Palebreath nodded, "yes"

Grotimnos sat unmoving for a time, "... why? Why her? Why me?"

Palebreath shrugged, "Not all of the Guild is in open *wheeze* information share with oneantother..."

Grotimnos' jaw clenched as he glared at the offensive death order.

"why..."

Palebreath walked past the stallion, "my advice? *wheeze* don't ask questions and just do what you're told *wheeze* odds are, you don't want to know the answers."

Grotimnos stared at the dosier.

XXXXX

The CMC were making their way through the brush of the Large Forest Province although after some time it had became apparent to the Ranger that they took a wrong turn somewhere.

"ugh!" Sweetie Belle groaned, "this is soooo annoying! I hate the outdoors!"

"quit being such a foal!" Scootaloo yelled back.

"Oh that's rich coming from a berserking two year old!"

"THAT'S IT!"

Scootaloo tackled Sweetie Belle into the brush and the two began tumbling around on the ground.

Omnifarious and Urversher stared at the two mares wrestling in the dirt, "...Awesome..."

"Get off of me!"

"You get off of me! Grrr!"

"Eep! Don't touch me there!"

"oooh, somepony squeemish?"

"EEEK! I don't swing that way!"

*stallions nosebleed*

"oh look, a river!" Applebloom called as she spotted a body of water at the base of the forest hill, using her axes, she hacked her way through thick veins of the forest until she and her companions arrived at the river.

"huh... so this is the Immortal River that runs through the entire continant..." Omnifarious thought aloud.

Just then, huge tendrils launched themselves from the depths of the water and began altching themselves around the adventurers who attempted to dodge but in the end were swept up into the air.

"WOOAAAHH!"

Gumomo Reached for her bow but the tendrils whacked her violently in the face before she could grasp it.

The others didn't fair much better as they flaied around helplessly.

One by one, the tendrils began yanking the adventurers beneath the water's surface.

At last, Gumomo got ahold of her bow and loosed two arrows right into the beast's eye beneath the surface of the water.

The monster cried out in pain before dragging the black mare down under as well.

Underneath the surface, the monster was met with another set of tendrils that shot out from the botom of the river's floor, these ones were much larger and a thousand times longer, they wrestled with the river monster until they snatched away its dinner, the CMC and their companions were yanked into several holes that formed at the bottom of the river.

underground currents of powerful jet streams allowed everypony to free them selves only to be carried along the jet streams themselves; but the tendrils were not far behind.

XXXXX

The Guild members came across the frozen yet flowing ice of the Immortal River within the frozen tundra, thinking nothing of it, the carriage crossed.

Half way across the body of ice, the surface cracked and shattered as a tendril smashed its way through as well as a flailing black stallion who swung his Katana blindly in the air.

Vanilla poked her head out of the carriage, "whaaaa..."

All of the ice beneath the carriage cracked and shattered bringing the entire vehical down into the ice water depths, the ponies panicked and attempted to swim only to be assulted by a series of tendrils and smashed into the bodies of the CMC.

After a chaotic and losing battle, everypony was sucked into more underground vortex tunnels that stretced throughout all of Ébány.

XXXXX

Deep in the Frozen Waste Province...

Applebloom puked out what felt like a gallon of water onto the river side as she crawled out onto mercifuly solid dry land, albeit freezing land...

From a jetstream within the river, another pony was sent flying into the air from the water's surface, "WAAAAAAAHHHHH!" the pony crashed into the snowy bedside next to Applebloom.

"woah! Ya'll ok?" The Ranger poked the unmoving red stallion.

"plegh!" Grotimnos coughed up water as his dazed vision began to regain its focus, "ugh... I'm... Fine..."

The Necromancer slowly and shakilly got to his hooves but when he did, his diamond shaped pupils locked onto Applebloom's concerned face.

"... This is surely a jest..." Grotimnos said slowly.

"HEEEELLLPP!" a feminine voice cried from behind them, Grotimnos turned to see a white coated mare flailing her arms around, "I CAN'T STAY UP!" Sweetie Belle shrieked as her chainmail began dragging her down underwater.

The Necromancer blinked once before dropping his scythe and staff and diving into the river.

After a minute, Grotimnos managed to hoist Sweetie Belle up onto shore, once the two of them made it up onto the snowy banks, the mare latched onto Grotimnos with a shivering body, "th-thank you!" she managed between panicked sobs, the Unicorn had seen her whole life flash before her lives as she began to sink into the depths of what she was sure was to be her tomb.

Grotimnos craddled the Mare's head into his chest, "do not worry, thou art ok, sshh..." he said softly as he pet her head.

When she looked up at him, The Necromancer saw the most beautiful face he'd ever witnessed.

"... h-hello there... *ahem* I'm I-I uh, I am um, Grotimnos..." he stammered out.

Sweetie sniffed, "hello... I'm Sweeite Belle." she replied with a smile.

XXXXX

Within the eastern area of the Briar Lothlaen seaside coral filled rock terrain...

SHUNK! Obsidian's scythe sunk into the banks of the river's shore allowing him to pull himself up with one hand while his other yanked two bodies by their tails out of the water and hoisted them onto shore.

Afterwards, the Vampire himself climbed uptop, dragging his heavy as hay stone skin body out of the water was by no means an easy feat, but in the end he'd managed.

"ugh! well that was a luvily spot of shit..." The Cleric sighed as he walked over and sat next to the two unconcious bodies that he'd managed to get a hold of.

"mmmnn..." Gumomo's eyes fluttered awake as she steadilly rose to her hooves. "oh dear... Is everypony still alive?" The Unicorn asked dazedly as she stood on her hooves, "well, that was quite an adventure now wasn't it?"

Ironheart groaned a bit, "mmn..." The Pegasus stood on his hooves with his black assassin's outfit and hood sopping wet.

After shaking himself like a dog finishing with waging his tail dry, two black arms latched around him and hoisted him into the air, "*squee* you're so adorable!" Gumomo cried as she nuzzled the Assassin.

Ironheart's blue eyes blinked as he stared at Obsidian with a look that said 'did I miss something?'

The Vampire merely shrugged.

After placing the small Pegasus back on the ground, Gumomo took a look around their current position.

"huh... Well, I suppose I've lost my companions... Well! greetings colts, I am Gumomo" The white maned Unicorn gave an elegant bow.

Obsidian chuckled and walked over only to lift Gumomo's hand up and kiss it in a princely manner, "'ello luv, Obsidian Sparkle at your service."

Gumomo giggled, "oh, flattery will get you everywhere."

Obsidian tilted his head at the somewhat strange sight.

"oh, and who would this cute little thing be?" Gumomo inquired as she turned to the silent Pegasus.

"aye, that's Ironheart, quiet bloke, don't speak much." The Vampire finished.

"oooh, mysterious silent type? I like!" Gumomo spoke in a flirtatious voice.

Ironheart looked at the ground with a blush forming beneath the cloth covering his maw.

XXXXX

Within the dunes of the Mohíbi Desert...

The quicksand of the Immortal River sputtered as Scootaloo's hand poked through and dug around for the still sands of the dunes on the riverside.

Palebreath managed to pop his head out and thrust his staff into the air, activating its advanced telekinesis he managed to drag himself, Scootaloo, and a third pony onto the sandy shores of the dune filled Desert.

"woah... That... was not... cool..." Scootaloo huffed.

"Agreed..." Palebreath rasped out.

"well, what do we do now?" Omnifarious, the third pony coughed out as he spat the last bits of quicksand from his mouth.

"well... I guess... Huh I don't know... And who are you?" Scootaloo asked as she pointed at the Illusionist.

Palebreath stood and brushed sand off of his black robe, "I *wheeze* am Palebreath... Oh my... This heat feels lovely..." The old pony cooed as the sun's blazing waves of heat loosened and massaged his tired old bones.

Omnifarious rose an eye brow, "what is it with old geezers and overly hot places?" the blue stallion uttered under his breath.

"ok so uh... Palebreath... I'm Scootaloo and that's Omnifarious." the Barbarian gestured towards the Fighter.

Omni gave a wave as he stood up.

"Nice to meet you."

Palebreath gave a small nod.

"Where the hay are we?" Scootaloo pondered as she looked around their sandy surroundings.

Palebreath scanned the area, "... Mohíbi Desert... I sense a very long journey ahead..."

XXXXX

Vanilla, Urversher, and Thorn had all been swept along the Immortal River into the ocean which had then carried them towards the Crescent Isle through a raging storm.

A small tital wave crashed the three ponies onto the shore of the Elven Island.

Urversher and Vanilla coughd up sea water as they rose, when their eyes locked, they froze...

"..."

"..."

Then they drew their weapons and lashed out at eachother, swords clanging as their ki blasted through their weapons, memories hit them like the wave that had washed them ashore.

Urversher, a young colt within his farmstead was fending off a group of bandits who picked him up from behind, spikes launched from his back and impailed the bandit holding him, the others backed up with shocked expressions on their faces, "wh-... what the hay _is_ he?!"

The small colt heaved and panted as his fingers extended and curled into razor sharp claws.

The pony lashed out at his attackers who side stepped and whacked him with their clubs, within seconds he was on the ground bleeding with several broken bones.

Suddenly a slicing noise was heard, a tangible ringing of metal through air.

Silence fell.

The colt looked up to see a grizzled old pony standing with his cane sword drawn, he flicked his blade cleaning it of blood and sheathed it, just as the hilt hit the sheath, Ponies fell to their death.

The old pony sighed as he brought his cane down and leaned upon it. Looking to the small colt, he sighed, "I'm sorry I didn't get here earlier little tyke..." he sighed.

Hours later, Vanilla was training atop a mountain hermit's home with a blind mare adorned in a white kimono, the little filly lashed out at her with a scream but every time the Kensai mereley dodged the attack an whacked Vanilla on the head with her wooden kendo sword

"ack!" Vanilla squeeked as she repositioned her body and began a defensive stance.

Urversher stood next to the old pony at the entrance to the stone training ground, he stared blankly at his hooves completely void of all emotion.

Vanilla turned to see the new pony, "who the hay is that?" WHAM! The mare's wooden sword cracked over Vanilla's skull and sent her spiriling to the ground.

"OOOOOWWW!" The filly craddled her bleeding head.

"That's what happens when you let your guard down!"

"That's unfair is what it is you bitch!"

The kensai stabbed her wooden sword through the stone floor, scaring the life out of Vanilla, "life is unfair, get used to it cunt!"

"dick face!"

"Bozu!"

"Busu!"

"Iyarashii!"

"Yariman!"

"Warugaki!"

"Kusobabaa!"

Eventually the old stallion stepped in and kept the mare and filly from really killing eachother, "Merry, why don't you go rest for a while hmm?"

Merry cracked her neck, "m'whatever!"

Vanilla put her thumbs at the sides of her head and made a rasberry with her tongue.

Once the old master sighed and shook his head, he left.

Vanilla stood their still clutchin her right hand against her bleeding forhead, she turned and stared at Urversher who was still staring at the ground; she walked over to him.

"YO!... hello? Anypony home?" she waved her left hand in front of him, no response.

"..." FWAM! Vanilla's fist connected with Urversher's face and sent him tumbling to the ground.

"What the hay was that for!" Urversher cried as he fellt his jaw to make sure that he still had all his teeth.

"for not answering me you jerk!" Vanilla screemed back.

Urversher smashed his head into Vanilla's who butted back, "You're the jerk you jerk!"

"wanna say that to my face!"

"I am sayint to your face baka!"

"YIIIAAAHHH!" The two then proceeded to roll around on the ground while wrestling and batting at eachother's heads.

A tall dark pony in Assassin's garb walked out into the training grounds with Ironheart at his side.

Quiet Lips stared at the wrestling foals rolling back and forth on the stone architecture, "... Well... looks like Vanilla's made a new friend..."

Irhonheart sighed while shaking his head.

A few weeks later, Vanilla and Urversher had quickly devoted themselves to becoming rivals, they competed in everything from the biggest sparing matches, to the stupidest staring contests.

Even sitting at the table for dinner, their chopsticks raced around the food in an eating contest that nopony knew the origins of.

Vanilla turned towards Urversher with puffed out cheeks full of food, she grabbed the sides of her face and stuck her tongue out, "blaalalalalalalaaa!"

Urversher covered his mouth just as he began to lugh, nearly loosing the food in his mouth, he responded by poking his chopsticks into all of Vanilla's ticklish spots.

The competition soon degraded into a foalish slap fight which prompted Merry to slam her hand on the table, "QUIT ACTING LIKE A BUNCH OF BRATS AND SHUT THE HAY UP!"

The two foals sat up straight and swallowed their food in one big gulp, "YES MAM!... _old hag..._" they said in unison but mumbled the last part.

"THAT'S IT!"

"meep!" the colt and filly took of sprinting through the oriental house as Merry chased after them like a raging bull.

"RUN AWAY, RUN AWAAAAYYY!"

After a few months they became the most skilled and promising students that Merry and The Master had ever seen, their rivalry continuously pushing them to always slightly better oneanother.

After a few years, Urversher, Vanilla, Ironheart, and the three teachers had gone to a local New Year's festival, hundreds of small market stalls were set up around the city below the mountain.

Vanilla nd Urversher challenged eachother to every single even and game possible, often going very overboard and scaring the other patrons; and ofcourse they simply _had_ to enter the porkbun eating contest which ended in them viscioulsy tearing at the buns in angry chibi form.

Afterwards they both had terrible stomach aches which they both blamed on oneanother.

At the end of the night, they found Ironheart with a giant over sized lolipop in his hand which he stuck his small tongue out to lick occasionally.

"wh-where did you even get that thing?!" Vanilla gawked while Urversher stood with his jaw hanging open.

"... Lolipop..." Was the colt's only response has he licked the candy.

Eventually the senseis came over and gathered everypony for a group picture, the three masters standing in back with Ironheart sitting infront holding his oversized treat, and the two Kensai's in training with their arms draped over each other's shoulders while making funy faces at the enchanted crystal camera.

Though Vanilla, Urversher, and Ironheart had all lost their families by one way or another; together they had built a new one.

Vanilla and Urversher classed with their blades on the beach, they rushed at each other as their ki flared to their peaks, Vanilla's body summoning wind aligned ki while Urversher formed lunar ki; their katanas sang out a warcry of agonizingly loud echoes with each strike.

As their adrenalin pumped and their spirits soared, they hopped several hooves back and rose their weapons in the air.

"GESSHOKU!" Urversher roared.

"KAMIKAZE!" Vanilla roared back.

Two huge tunels of midnight blue and bright yellow slammed into oneanother as they exploded with power, a twister of energy sent sand and debris flying through the air, as well as a certain Unicorn, "WHAAAAAAAA!" Thorn cried as she was tossed by the powerful gale into the forest brush, "HOW IS THIS ANIME CRAP EVEN REAAAAAAAALLLLlllllllllll_lllllllllll_..." ... *boof*...

When the ki blasts subsided, Urversher and Vanilla lay on their backs next to eachother with their bare hands wide spread and chests heaving with pants.

"that... was... awesome..." Urversher panted out.

Vanilla laughed, then turned to the greyish black pegasus, "I missed you."

Urversher tuned to the white Earth pony with a smile, "I missed you too."

"are you... QUITE finished?" a voice called from above, the two Kensai looked up to see Thorn huffing with crazed eyes, her mane and trench coat covered in forest debris.

With that, she fell to her rump and crossed her legs while beginning to relieve her body of debris with her telekinesis.

Vanilla and Urversher laughed as they sat up on their legs and rested on their feet in a kneeling position.

"ahem, yes... Well then! I am Thorn of the Black Rose, it is a pleasure to meet you!" The white unicorn said pleasantly as she held out her hand to Urversher.

"Urversher." the Pegasus replied as he shook the offered hand.

"so what do we do now? I think we lost everypony else..." Vanilla comented.

Thorn nibbled her lower lip, "hmm... Well it so happens that I collected that blood from each of you for just such an occasion!" The noble mare stood up and walked over to the beach's end and knelt down near the water, there she pulled her pack down and shufled through it, but before she got far, she noticed something strugling in the water, after narrowing her eyes, the Enchantress saw it to be one of her Wyverns that had been pulling the carriage.

"Meep! Oh dear!" she rushed forward into the water and got her arms around the panicking creature before dragging it to the beach's sandy shore.

"grrrrr oof!" The Enchantress landed on her back with her Wyvern ontop of her and licking her face for saving its life.

"oh there there! It's ok, mama's here, shhh." she pet the creature's head.

Once the Wyvern was calmed down, Thorn returned to her pack and drew out a silver bowl which she filled with sea water.

From there, she poured the tiny amount of blood from each of the philes of Palebreath, Grotimnos, and Ironheart.

From here, she cast both a scrying spell, and a magic mirror spell allowing her to both locate, and link the minds of the forementioned ponies to the pool of water she'd made.

Once she got in contact with them, they could all figure out what to do and where to go from here...

'what a mess...' she thought dismally.

END OF CHAPTER!


	4. If I Die In Battle

Chapter 4, If I Die in Battle

-We stand here now on the precipice of change, all things converge into an enivitable singularity of unavoidable conflict, the battle must be fought and blood must be spilt, the steel must flash and shields must break, the thundering sounds of war shall ruel the six winds blowing accross the empty folds of land to the ends of the Earth; let entropy and chaos reign.- excerpt from _the secret book of Bemnal the Fallen_

*****************IMPORTANT NOTE!******************************

I wanted to inform fans of this story that I am currently working on a Dungeons and Ponies Role Playing Forum here on and it should be up within a week or so from now. The Forum topics will include information for races, classes, core rules, and tips for keeping your character alive. It will be a real time role play meaning that in your character sheet you'll include times and days that you're available for online role play as well as what time zone you're in.

The Forum should pop up on my profile page I believe but if not it'll be called 'Dungeons and Ponies Book 2, RP' as I said I should have it up in a week or so.

The forum will include:

New Classes.

New Races.

New Subraces.

New weapons and Proficiencies.

Psionics.

A revamped Necromancer Class that pwns.

A few hybrid classes such as the Battlemage.

A revised Changeling as a full playable race.

Revised Vampire that's much easier to play as and very balanced.

Lycans added as a playable subrace.

As well as a new Arcane magic system that meshes very well with online role play (it's extremely simple compared to general D&D magic) Clerical magic is pretty simple on its own so I'm leaving it be.

I'll curently only DM an adventuring group of about four players but you can also send in an application for being a DM and run your own campaign within my forum as a moderator and run adventures in other parts of the world or even other ages in time. The Campagin I will be running is set 3,500 years before the show during the Medieval Age in the early days of Equestria; it will start as a low level campaign begining with 1st level characters but will progressively grow in difficulty to fit the player's level up to a maximum of 15th.

Other DMs may run higher level campaigns if they wish but keep in mind that the general cap limit for the platform I devised is level 21. It is technically possible to go beyond this but the Elder Gods have set the power limit and some sort of special even will be required for a player's character to go beyond level 21 at which point they become an Epic Character. I do have a D&D handbook for Epic Characters and campaigns fit with feats, abilities, Epic Spells, groups for Epic Characters and rules for running an Epic Campaign. I also have the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons player's handbook II edition along with the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Dungeon Master's guide and the second half of the AD&D Monster Manual. I have them all electronicaly on my computer so if any potential DM needs them I can send them via Email as a PDF attatchment.

My campaign will be Advanced Dungeons and Dragons based, why? Because that's my favorite D and D platform, it's an ironic name because in some ways it's actually much more simple than other D and D platforms. AD&D focuses less on combat and more on the role playing and character interaction faccites of D and D. Numbers are also a lot smaller and AD&D and it's a lot easier to die but that makes it all the more awesome when you miraculously survive. Making it through an AD&D campaign is based more on the player's wit and inginuity rather than how tough their character is.

ANYWAY! That's it, enjoy.

*************************IMPORTANT NOTE!******************************

"so what now?" Palebreath asked through the looking glass infront of him, connecting his vision with Grotimnos, Ironheart, and Thorn.

Grotimnos chewed on his lip thoughtfully, "perhaps we shalt meet up somehap?"

Thorn shook her head, "by the relative proximity of the spell, we're all a thousand or so miles away from oneanother, it'd me much easier to continue our quests individually, or rather with the allies we've seemed to have become... involved with..."

Everypony nodded.

"I have an Idea" Palebreath began, "how about we each try to find rumors regarding the staff of wishing."

Everypony else gave a nod, "sounds like a plan."

"alright, we'll all get in contact again in one week's time." Thorn finished. With a flicker of magic, the connection was broken.

Thorn sighed, "well... I suppose it's time for us to continue on our journey... too bad we haven't the slightest hint of where to go." the Unicorn frowned.

XXXXX

Grotimnos yawned as he fully awoke. Looking around, he saw Applebloom and Sweetie Belle resting on their roll out beds. Particularly he saw Sweetie Belle, or rather stared at her would be a more accurate description.

"..." he silently admired her beauty from afar. For there was also the ever present obligation of sorts involving the other pony present... Applebloom.

Grotimnos sighed as he scuffed the ground with a hoof. Memerories taunted him of the time following the deaths of his parents... And of Discord. For the short time that the old god had been freed, he'd toyed with Grotimnos, took him outside of time and space to pass along ancient arcane secrets to him. He'd always wondered why? Why him? Why his familly? Why his dead parents?

Anger filled him as rememberence laughed in his face, remembering how he'd fallen under the illusions of Discord; of how he'd unknowingly attacked and killed his mother and father.

Grotminos slammed the back of his head into the tree he was leaning against. The action caused Sweetie and Applebloom to stir form their slumber.

"Oh, appologies, I handn't intended to wake thee..." Grotimnos mumbled.

Sweetie rubbed the sand from her eyes and slunked over to the Necromancer, and sat next to him.

"Oh it's fine, don't worry about it." she giggled adorably much to Grotimnos' delight.

But for now, the Necromancer focused on inscribing his spells from his book into runes upon his psyche and etching glyphs in the air which would then fade into his arm as if by tattoo.

"So..." Applebloom began as she stood up in the fridged cold, "what now?"

Grotminos nibbled his lips in thought, that was a good question.

"Well... I suppose we start hoofing it towards the nearest town!" Sweetie exclaimed gleefully.

Shrugging, the other two ponies nodded their agreement and followed the Unicorn as she led them west.

They traveled for an hour, Sweetie and Grotimnos talking idly along the way; and during that time, Grotimnos seemed to forget about his earthly pains and worries, if only for the dissilousioning beauty of that pure hearted smile on Sweetie's face.

Applebloom poked her head in between the two and gave a long glance to each, "uhuh... Ah can see where this is goin'..." she leaned back to her normal walking position.

Sweetie blushed, "I-I have no idea what you're talking about!"

Applebloom rolled her eyes, "uhuh, sure..."

Grotminos coughed in a fit of awkwardness before the matter was forgotten and their traveling continued. It would be night soon and they would be needing a place to camp for the night; especially if they encountered the barbarian tribe within the frozen wastes, nopony wants to piss off a horde of vikings that's for damn sure!

Fotunately their was an ice cave nearby with their names on it.

XXXXX

Gumomo, Obsidian, and Ironheart were traversing the coasts of the southern shores of Ébány when they came accross a pony begging them for help.

Just prior, Obsidian and Ironheart had been attempting rather unsuccessfully to pry secrets from the ebony Unicorn. "Sorry but a mare must be allowed her private knowlegde."

"Ah but luv, it's not such a daft request tis it? We're just wonderin' where ya came from?" the Vampire insisted.

Gumomo gave a seductive albeit teasing smile, "sorry hon!" she giggled.

"PLEASE!" a mare cried as she fell against Gumomo out of nowhere, "b-bandits! Th-they've attacked our caravan!

Gumomo blinked in shock, "wha... who?"

"NO TIME! Please hurry!" just as the mare turned to leave however, Gumomo clutched her shoulder, "hold on a minute," she leaned in and sniffed the mare tentatively, "hmm... I see..."

"PLEASE HELP!"

"Oh, stop screaming your head off!" Gumomo shouted out of nowhere before turning the mare around, "now why don't you just lead us to these 'bandits' eh?"

Obsidian and Ironheart looked to eachother curiously.

"R-right! Thank you so much! I-"

"tut tut tut! Just lead." But as soon as the mare faced away from her, Gumomo's fingers shifted into a spear head and impailed the mare through the back of the neck.

The mare sputtered as blood washed out from behind her throat before falling to the ground dead.

Ironheart stared blankly at her. Obsidian laughed, "oi, she was annoying meh too!"

Gumomo knelt down next to the mare, "she's a changeling." she said matter of factly before bringing the spearhead to her mouth and sucking the blood from it.

She then shifted into a generic changeling form, having the changeling's DNA within her it began to bond with her psyche and soon all of the creature's thoughts memories and mannerisms were transfered over to Gumomo.

"SHIT!" Gumomo exclaimed as she stood up and looked around.

The sudden motion startled her compainons, "what? What is it?"

"We have to leave. Now." Gumomo responded with a deathly serious tone.

Sounds shifted around them demanding their attention, "... Gumomo... what's going on..."

Gumomo drew her bow, "we're right next to a changeling hive!"

A gas filled the surrounding air, Gumomo and Ironheart attempted to fight the impending fit of unconciousness but ultimately passed out. Obsidian however was a Vampire and did not require breath. But what he did require, was an aethereon connection to the astral plane to connect his conciousness with his undead body. And a certain gylph etched into a silver tipped arrow piercing his shoulder took care of that right and quick.

Changelings clambered out of the surroundings and dragged the bodies off to the nearby hive...

XXXXX

Scootaloo, Palebreath, and Omnifarious found themselves within the Mohibi Desert region of Ébány whereupon they were faced a giant rockface.

"Interesting... it looks like there's a fortress built into the cliff... LET'S GO CHECK IT OUT!" Omni exclaimed with glee before charing forward headfirst.

Scootaloo looked towards the Illusionist, "I like the way he thinks!" and sprinted on after the Fighter.

Palebreath felt like facepalming but resisted the urge as he slowly drudged forward using his Wizard's staff as a walking stick, his pathetically low Constitution doing nothing for his state of health within this arduous trip.

Upon reaching the fortress, the Fighter and Barbarian were forced to wait up for the now panting Wizard as he limped his way to join them stopping many times to hack and cough up bloody phlem.

"... Are you O.K.?" Omnifarious asked with concern. The Unicorn waved him off with annoyance, "do not waste your concerns on me foal! *wheeze*"

Omni blinked, "well excuse me." he held up his hands defensively while Scootaloo scoffed, "all magic users are alike, just a bunch of prissy little jerks." and snorted indignantly.

Palebreath glared at her for a few moments when they heard a voice from above.

"WHO GOES THERE?!" high above them an elf stood with a strung bow.

Omnifarious and Palebreath stared at oneanother, seemingly hesitant on who should be the one to speak for the group. Scootaloo it seemed, made a dictatorial decision without them, "you're mom that's who! OW!" Scootaloo yelled back only to be clobbered over the head by Palebreath's staff, "ugh... Barbarians... We are mercenaries hired by the King of Ébány."

The Elf looked skepitcal "... wait a moment."

The wall before them was easilly twenty hooves high and stretched in a curved horizontal dome from one section of the clifface to another roughly one hundred hooves wide.

A large gatehouse opened up revealing an Earth Pony, a Griffon, and an Elf.

The adventuring party moved inside to greet them passed the Dwarven stone work.

"Ah ah! Before you take another step I want to see some certification."

Omnifarious nodded and handed them some papers from the king.

"... very well... so what is it that brings you here, there certainly are no enemies of the crown to be slain here." the Elf stated.

"We're searching for the Staff of Wishing, if you have any information on such we'd be much obliged to hear it." Omni replied.

The Griffon quirked an eyebrow, "hmm... perhaps we do... but nothing is free in this world."

Palebreath stepped forward, "then what is the price of this knowledge?"

The Griffon frowned, "helping us defend this wall."

The three adventurers gave eachother aprehensive looks, "... very well... What exactly are we defending agaisnt?"

The Griffon ushered them in with a wave of his claw as he headed towards the interior of the wall; within they saw a large hallway filled with interchangeable doors left and right.

"What is THAT?!" Scootaloo exclaimed as she pointed down yonder in the direction of the hallway's end.

The Griffon frowned, "that is... what we're protecting..." down there at the end at the hall was a large double black door.

"What... is it?" Omni asked as he dared to step closer, a strange feeling of unease enveloped him.

"Rizo" The Griffon responded, "one of the fabled Humans from before Celestia and Luna's time; the so called 'children of Discord' many of them possessed vast mental abilities called Psionics, those among the nobility of Humans were the most highly skilled in such powers and endeavored to rule over all the land when they're population grew too large... But Rizo was arguably one of the worst alongside Raziel; he found a way to cheat death through his Psionics by mastering something called 'Vitakinesis' he was able to perfect a new form of regeneration that even fire and acid can't kill."

Palebreath gave a 'hmm', "so he's immortal?"

The Elf gave a huff, "beyond immortal, you just can't kill swit! The most the ancients were able to do back in Equestria's early days was seal him up inside this Tartarus hole with the Elements of Harmony, fortunately he hadn't found a way to resist it."

Omnifarious raised a brow, "and somepony else did?"

The Griffon nodded, "Raziel, a Human who'd died during the first apocalyps during the Black Age. When Celestia and Luna first defeated Discord his last act of chaos was to resurrect Raziel; the Human nearly destroyed the world, he killed hundreds of ponies in a rampage leaving a trail of blood all the way towards Canterlot; it's said that his was one of they only battles in the Princesse's lives when they truly thought they were on the verge of death. It seems that he found a way to resist the Elements of Harmony by some way and nearly succeeded in iraticating all of pony kind were it not for the aide given by the Elder Gods. Thankfully such a godsend allowed them to cast Raziel into a black hole."

The Elf turned towards the giant black doors, "They say that Rizo is no better, just as powerful, and just as evil."

The Griffon sighed, "unfortunately, there's a lot of evil creatures around these parts drawn towards Rizos aura. For whatever reason they seem to want to pay a little visit I don't know if they want to set him free or try to kill him but I really don't care; our job is to make sure nothing crosses beyond that wall. And from what our scouts tell us, there's another wave coming... tonight."

Scootaloo cracked her neck and gave a challenging smile, "right, so you want us to help crack some skulls?"

The Griffon smiled, "exactly!"

An hour or so later and the group found themselves getting rather well aquanted with oneanother, the Griffon they soon learned was named Craven, a highly skilled Paladin of the Griffon nations assigned to what they now knew was called, "The Wall" Beings from all the races were stationed here.

Craven the Griffon Paladin was a familly man with a wife, two cubs, and another one the way; he grew up in the Griffon army for most of his life until the Malak'tar coven of crusaders took him in and trained him as a Paladin at which point the gov't of Ébány requested a powerful warrior form the Malak'tar, guess who was elected... but Craven held no grudge, he was happy to serve the coven of crusaders in whatever way they requested of him although he was sadened that he'd rarely ever see his family again if ever.

Then there was the Elf Ranger Dallandra, he got rather annoyed when others made fun of his feminine name although Omnifarious couldn't really tell of the name was masculine or not. Dallandra was found to be a very sensitive stallion, he was very easy to offend but quick to forgive. He had two sisters and a sickly father named Evander; Dallandra's agreement to man The Wall provided a solid Social Security fund for his starving familly paid for by Ébány's government, he was so happy that Evander and his two sisters would be living hapilly and with that knowledge, he would gladly serve out his new dedication.

The Earth Pony Fighter announced that his name was Brick Block, a hot headed adventurer who found more than he was looking for and wound up estranged from his family along with several near death experiences but also grew a taste for battle and settled for being a guard on The Wall.

And then there was the little Hobbit Thief Duncan, a miscevious little brat who oh so enjoys getting in trouble. A fun little thing who seemed to know all of the little traps and hidden passageways of The Wall.

"So what kind of a place is this anyway?" Omni asked as he looked around.

Palebreath made a raspy cough, "it's heavily enchanted *wheeze* by the ancients... I belive it was made by the *cough* Archlight clan."

Omnifarious and Scootaloo both cocked an eyebrow, "Archlight?"

Craven nodded, "the Archlights are descended from Princess Platinum, they hold the old traditions that Unicorns are supposedly superior to all other races. I don't know much else about them though."

Palebreath nodded back, "so what happens now? *wheeze* when will this 'wave' be coming?"

Craven looked up towards the clock, "in a short while." he said with a grim face.

XXXXX

Thorn the Black Rose lead her party of three consisting of herself, Vanilla, and Urversher; Thorn herself was seated on her Wyvern, riding it through the forested area.

"So..." she began, "what exactly have we to look forward to?" She asked kindly.

Urversher shrugged, "dunno much about this place so... can't say." The black stallion quiped.

The impromptue conversation ended however when Urversher suddenly paused and grabbed his scabbered flicking the hilt with his thumb, "we're not alone..."

Vanilla drew both her Katanas while Thorn pulled out her heart scepter staff; Elves climbed out of the woodwork with bows pointed at the three adventurers.

One of the elves asked something in his native tongue.

Thorn and Vanilla both blinked in confusion before turning towards Urversher, the only one amongst their little group with any knowledge of elvish speech.

Urversher sighed, "they said 'halt, no traspassers allowed upon Lord Evander's gounds'"

Thorn quirked a brow, "I didn't know the elves had lords and nobel mares."

Urversher shrugged, "aparantly they do... and apparantly we're on a Mr. Evander's hunting grounds."

Thorn gave a hum as she tilted her head back and forth before finally speaking, "well then, may we meet with this 'Mr. Evander'?"

Urversher translated the speech.

The Elve's response didn't seem too happy...

"They're basically telling us to buck off or they'll kill us." Urversher explained.

Thorn scoewled, "really? Hm..." She waved her hand around in the air as a powerful arcane rune lifted into the air accompanied by some ancient speech paterns and suddenly the Elves lowered their bows.

Some more fluid speech from the tall ones and Urversher translated once more, "oh well now they're all smiles." he scoffed eliciting a small coy smile from Thorn.

The Elves lead the group of adventurers into a large treehouse-like village, Elven foals popped their heads up from high tree tops at the strange newcomers, they seemed particularly interested in the winged and non horned ponies.

Eventually they found themselves lead into the main foyer of a beautiful Elven manor filled with glorious structures and carvings.

But no sooner had the three entered then had Thorn's smile dissapeared as she spotted two earily familiar Unicorns waiting inside, both with coats as snow white as her own wearing lxurious clothes and wielding powerful enchanted staves.

The younger of the two with a neon purple mane greased backwards with cold and unerving pink eyes turned towards Thorn with a serpant's smile, "ah! Cousine! To think that I'd find you in such a place as this." the stallion chuckled serving only to darken Thorn's frown even further into a malicious scowl.

But Thron's discontent seemed only to increase the stallion's smile; the slimy sadism hidden behind it insulted his outward beauty.

Thorn practically growled her response, "nor I you Vermilion."

Vanilla and Urversher each cocked a brow as they eyed the two members of the Archlight clan.

Then the second white Unicorn entered the conversation; he held the same black mane as thorn save for the red streak and adorned silver eyes upon his face along with a stern cold look about him.

Thorn turned her attention away from her infuriating cousine and looked instead at her father Canis.

"Ah... Thorn... I trust you've been keeping out of trouble?" he asked with a raised eye brow in heavy prejudice.

Thorn felt like letting her eye twitch but resisted the temptation, "it's nice to see you as well father." she snapped back in an equally cold tone.

Vermilion walked over and got VERY close to Thorn, "well either way, I suppose it's nice to see my betrothed again after so long."

Both Vanilla and Urversher shook their heads in suprise, "BETROTHED?!" they exlcaimed.

Thorn once again was struck with the peasant impulse of an unlaydy like action though this time in the form of a sigh; and yet she still resisted it. Thorn gave a sigh before shoving her own face right into her cousine's pressing their snouts together, "oh yes, it's been far too long."

Vermilion pressed back just as hard, "oh indeed... too long." as time pressed on, the two reverted into a shoving match of butting heads making their relationship as cousines much more believable as they regressed into tyring to one up eachother.

Canis sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose at his daughter and nephew's immature bickering; they'd always been rivals with oneanother to an almost obsessive point hence why he'd initialy voted against their arranged marriage but on the other hand, they were both some of the most highly skilled mages in the Archlight family within their generation and thusly for the purity of their family it seemed only natural to pair them.

Canis stared at the ceiling in aprehension glad that at least his daughter wasn't married to her other cousine Blueblood; the Archlights were infamous for their prude manners and superior racist 'holier than thou' attitude but Blueblood took it to a whole new level.

Either way, it was time to seperate the two Unicorns before they began slinging spells at one another, "well Thorn, you and your... companions... must be tired after such a long trek, mahaps you should rest at the hospility of Lord Evander."

Thorn sighed in defeat, "very well father." she shot one last nasty look at her cousine, "I suppose I shall see _you_ later." she spat and with that, she headed off with no clue as to where she was going.

Eventually Thorn and her companions were lead into a lavish room for the moment while the Elves searched for extra quaters to house the Earth Pony and Pegasus.

Vanilla walked over, "so... betrothed huh?"

Thorn curled her lip as if she'd bit into something sour, "yes... unfortunately..." Thorn gave a sigh, "I suppose this will require some explanation... I'm a member of the Archlight family, we're descended from Princess Platinum amongst the earliest days of Equestria when it was but a small city state. Unlike other nobel houses of the day, the Archlights ran along the male bloodline which was rather controverseal at the time..." Thorn shook her head, "anyway, the Archlight generally inbreeds to keep the bloodline pure and they tend to throw out anypony without the same alabaster white coat as Princess Platinum. Additionally, anypony born as a non Unicorn will never have holding over the family name, especially if they're born as an Earth Pony..."

Vanilla flashed a scowl.

Thorn walked over to an open window, crossed her arms as she leaned against the sill, and continued, "I was born a long time ago... much longer than you'd think from looking at me... *sigh* I grew up learning the art of Enchantment and educated in the finer arts of literature and politics... I was also lulled ot sleep with tails of brave Knights and fair maidens; I'd long since wanted my own Knight in shining armor; around my teenage years I found one abroad in my world travels as I acompanied my family durning matters of state."

Thorn inhaled through her nose and let out a breath of nostalgia as she gazed out towards the beuatiful rivers, "oh he was handsome and charming and more than a little foolhardy." she offered a chuckle, "oh yes, very charming indeed. So charming infact that he talked his way into my bedchambers in the dead of night; I came home at the end of the journey with a foal in my womb and a more than dissapointed father." another laugh, "oh an my cousine was infuriated, he pressed to have the engagement called off. It was probably the one thing we ever agreed on. *sigh* but once my son was born... things changed... he was born and Earth Pony." her nostalgic smile faded.

"... I begged for him to be made into a servant which my father suprisingly obliged... but it was but a temporary fix... over the years my political influence waned until I was faced with an ultimadum... I either give up my son or lose my standing in the family; estrange myself from him, and my honor would be restored."

Thorn's mouth deflated into a blank unreadable expression, "in the end I returned to my high life style with my son thrown out into the streets." she turned around to face the Pegasus and Earth Pony, "and to this day I have no regrets."

Thorn began to exit the room in grim silence when Vanilla stopped her, "what did he look like?"

Thorn stopped and turned towards the Kensai, "you know... for the gods damn death of me... I cannot even remember his name." and with that, she left.

XXXXX

Gumomo awoke within a dark dank cavern, it was one with which she was regretably familiar with. Gumomo sighed, "no place like home..." Looking around she noticed that her body was encased within a coccoon of 'I don't want to know what' material, all around her black thick gunk covered the walls of the subterranian labyrinth along with phsosforescent green nodes strewn about here and there.

"Ah, you're awake." sneered a cunniving yet languid and seductive voice.

If Gumomo's hands were free she would have facepalmed but as things stood she settled for a groan, "ugh, not you..." she said in a tone that was much more akin to an stressed foal on the school groans being approched by the annoying loser who incessently refused to quit bugging her despite repeated demands for such.

"You wound me dear. Come now, is that anyway to treat your mother?" A black chitin covered Changeling stepped in from the shadows with a long slimy blue mane and efervescent green eyes that glowed with a dark hidden malice behind them.

"Chrysalis... the years sure haven't been kind to you." Gumomo quiped.

Chrysalis frowned, "best keep that nasty tongue of yours in check lest I tear it out."

Gumomo responded by spitting in her mother's face.

Chrysalis deadpaned as she whiped her face off with a creater filled arm, "still as repugnant as ever I see. No matter, I'll get to fixing that little temper of yours in a hurry." she turned around and walked over towards a membranous chest; opening it up she retrieved two items, a bow and a quiver. "I have a present for you darling daughter." When Chrysalis turned back to face her daughter however, she saw that Gumomo was nowhere to be seen.

Gumomo flew at her from the side with a chitinous blade protruding form her wrist which Chrysalis easily dodged and coutnered with a shoulder throw slaming Gumomo into the ground before spining her around and tossing her into a black gunk covered wall.

"Please, I know every move you'll make before you make it; I'm already inside your head, your stupid little mind just hasn't caught up to the fact." Chrysalis spat confidently as Gumomo hopped back to her hooves seemingly unphased by the impact.

The Fighter brought out a series of spider like legs protruding from her back extending her body high into the air giving her a Slendermane appearance as she launched additional spider legs forward like spears which Chrysalis met by sprouting several tendrils from her own back, each apendage coiled tightly around Gumomo's spindly limbs and forced them to the side while an additional tendril slammed into her chest sending her crashing once again into the wall

Chrysalis stalked towards her daughter as her eyes began to glow, "it's been much too long, you tantrum thorwing little brat, since you've felt the call of the hive mind." and rose her hand up towards Gumomo, "listen. Hear the whispers, feel the crawling behind your eyes. Ken again the voice of the Laenon Síhdmora; feel the touch of the Faerie Inklaé slipping in from unreality."

Gumomo stared defiantly at her mother with rage filling her shifting eyes as her disguised form began to fall away revealing a mutated half changeling half spider monstrosity as her mind became raptured with images and sounds that she knew weren't real. But they were real... they just didn't feel real, or was it the other way around? Gumomo's mind began slipping away into the realms of unconciousness as the hive mind invaded her thoughts unbidden; "B-bite silver... bitch..." was all she could manage.

Chrysalis clicked her tongue as she shook her head, "such nasty manners; we'll have to fix those as well but in time. You are Fay, one of the supernatural; a monster and no amount of illusions or charms will change that, you're a freak of nature, I specifically molded you as such; you are a member of the Oondralaé Comunion albiet a half breed of my family and the Únselda Court, you are Fay, you were born beyond the Elfshot within the spirit plane of the Faerie Inklaé, and most of all; you are mine."

Gumomo let out a gutteral wail of agony.

XXXXX

Obsidian Sparkle and Ironheart finally felt conciousness slowy ebb its way back into the forefront of their minds. "Ugh..." The Pegasus Assassin rubbed his head wearily as his mind was refreshed with the waking world. Obsidian himself finally awoke from the Faerie Inklaé the spirit realm in which a Vampire's mind dwelled when they dreampt.

But now was not the time for philosophical debate, they were under attack! Obsidian whipped out his scythe only to fall short of his asured victory when he realized that he and the Assassin were alone, "ah... yes... well... ahem... right-ee-oh then..."

Ironheart tugged at the Cleric's leather aromor like a small foal.

The Vampire stared down at the Assassin, "wot?"

Irhonheart made a gesture with his hands modling the feminine curves of a mare to indicate Gumomo.

"Oh aye... that pretty little thing... must've been takin' by the Laenon Síhdmora." Obsidian ventured a guess.

Ironheart tilted his head in confusion merely asking with his body language "Laenon Síhdmora?"

Obsidian shook his head, "it means 'black ones who shimmer' in the old Elven tongue; it was the original name for the Changeling race before that new title gained popularity. I dinae know wheech clan ha' taken 'er but if ah had tah guees methinks it to be the Oondralaé Comunion; one oh' da trae major clans of the Laenon Síhdmora -Changelings, sorry- the only odar tooh would be da Únselda Court and the Convocation of Vos. Boot Ah dew happen tae know that zeh Oondralaé Comunion holds a home nearby; their clan is ruled over methinks by Chrysalis at present."

Ironheart nodded sagely... and then mentally asked another question to which the Vampire answered in full, "da Oondralaé are da ones dat attacked Canterlot nine years ago; tear name means 'pixie' in elvish, named fer der insect wings. Da Únselda are land based, dear name translates as 'Arachnid' named for dear spider legs and what not. Den dear's da Vos, Vos can be translated as many tins: Swamp, Bog, Pond, Paddy, Pool, lagoon, River, Lake, hay even Ocean! Da Vos are water based ambush predators dat usually hide in bogs or swams and wait for idiotic adventurers to wander by dear lake where day take da forms of Sirens and Seaponies to lure dem to da water where day drown and eat dem." he explained.

Obsidian placed his hands on his hips as he peered around searching for any signs of where the black coated and silver maned Fighter might have been taken to; "hmm..." reverting to more primal methods of detection, he opened his mind to the spirit realm of the Faerie Inklaé and felt around for the magical signitures of the Laenon Síhdmora.

"Gotcha!" The Vampire sprinted off with all haste in a seemingly random direction much to the mortal Pegasus' dispair; it took all of Ironheart's flying speed to keep up.

After what felt like hours the Vampire finally stopped his pursuit taking extra care to keep his enchanted cloak closed over his body protecting him from the sun's holy rays. The two merceneries made their way inside a large cave rimmed with a thick black goup; it was only when Ironheart took a look around their surroundings that he finally came to the realization that they were suspended high in the air along a cliff face.

"Huh..." Ironheart commented as he peered down over the edge.

Obsidian lead the way through the mouth of the cave, "the Oondralaé dunae usually guard their entarinces 'cause o' how high up they are on a cliff wall."

Ironheart nodded in response as he followed the Vampire deep into the cave's labyrinths.

Eventually they came across a large open room filled with various thick columns with a high standing celing, the area lit with the green eerie glow of hive nodes.

Obsidian suddenly came to a halt, "wait... one o' them's close by... oh... and no wee little one either..."

The two ponies drew their weapons in preperation for battle when Gumomo of all ponies stepped through... though it was a very different Gumomo; her eyes were a series of six violet small orbs and eight spider legs extended from her back while her lower two legs were replaced by a series of four additional spider legs; her back aslo sported six long flexible tendrils wreathing about with two insectoid wings fitted in amongst the mass of limbs and her silvery mane was long and whispy like a ghost.

Obsidian did a double take in aghast suprise; "buwah?! But... Ah knew there was somethin' strange o'bout her but... a HALFBREED?!" Ironheart gave him a strange look, "no, not half pony! She's half Oondralaé and half Únselda! A freakin spider-pixie!" Obsidian spat on the ground, "abomination!"

Gumomo only uttered a gutteral and unnatural screech in response with her mouth splitting open both vertically and horizontally with four flaps folding backwards to reveal a tunnel of spining seraded teeth; the spectacle was more than enough to enerve the two ponies as they took a hasty step back.

"Remember Ironheart... this isn't Gumomo, her way has been lost to the Hive Mind. She won't show any mercy don't show any to her."

Just then, arrows sailed through the air towards the two unsuspecting ponies.

"Woah!" Both ponies yelped as they dashed behind a few columns hoping to dodge the fierce acurate shots of Thorn the Black Rose.

Obsidian cursed as Gumomo launched a few more arrows from a seemingly bottomless quiver.

Ironheart whipped out his repeater crossbow and began launching bolt after bolt towards the monster, one of them Gumomo's spider legs knocked off to the side whilst another one pierced a tendril and the final bolt grazed her shoulder.

Gumomo's giant form hissed as two tendrils launched froward at Ironheart, the first Irhonheart managed to just barely dodged whilst the second slammed into his side and sent him barreling towards a column which he only barely missed.

Obsidian charged towards the monster while wielding his giant scythe and launched himself up onto Gumomo's back; there was a brief struggle of agility but eventually Obsidion one out and attempted to put her in a rear naked choke hold which resulted in an enraged Gumomo flailing about as her tendrils slammed visciously into Obsidian's back with such force he spewed out black vampiric blood from his mouth as his ribs shattered; then Gumomo stung another arrow and shot at the Assassin.

Ironheart was skewered through the lower right section of his torso, the arrow carrying enough force to knock him back on his ass.

Obsidian crushed harder and harder with his Vampiric strength around Gumomo's neck and soon the force began to break through the chitin armor.

Gumomo thrashed about, her spider legs twisted around and pierced into the Vampire's stone flesh, one of them glancing off the natural armor while the other breached the surface causing Obsidian to splutter out another glob of blood as his vision began to blur.

Ironheart struggled up onto his rump and fired another three round burst of bolts from his repeater crossbow, two of the bolts missed but one struck Gumomo in one of her spider legs severing it completley; the monster let out a gutteral shriek while Obsidian pressed even harder on her thorat yet still she remained concious.

Gumomo lunged using her legs and tendrils at a nearby column with Obsidian's body aimed at the protrusion; Obsisian's body crashed into the structure but he managed to hold on.

At last, Gumomo's sight began to falter as blood circulation was cut off from her brain; she wavered... struggled... and ultimately fell face first into the ground with a perfusely bleeding heep of Vampire ontop of her.

"Buck... my unlife..." Obsidian couged up yet another splotch of blood as he struggled off the pile of Changeling-hybrid-thing and onto the black secretion covered floor. Irhonheart's head fell back in exasperation and relief.

Obsidian hoisted himself up and began invoking Nightmare Moon's power through his clerical devotion to heal himself and as such, casted both a cure serious wounds spell as well as a cure minor wounds spell; the clerical balm offered major respite much to the Reaper's relief, he wasn't at a hundred percent but had certainly gained improvement.

Then he turned to the Assassin and offered the Pegasus healing as well; Ironheart sighed in reprieve as his pain faded away, though he was still a ways from perfect health, it was a nice restoration.

"WEll, this has been fun..." The Vampire turned towards the monster, "as for you lassy... I gots me no idea tae whether or not this'll work but... I dinae think dear's any odor way." Obsidian grasped Gumomo's head and held her mishapen face up to his as he peered into her eyes.

The Assassin verbally asked a question, quite a rare occurance for him, "what are you going to do?"

"Glamour her, perhaps my own mind manipulation will mess wid da queen's. No garuntee ofcourse, but tis better 'an noding." responded the Cleric.

The Vampire peered into the Changeling's mind; he sifted around through an interconnected cobweb of brain patterns aned wave lengths hidden deep within her subconciousness. What he found, threw him for a loop to say the least for he encountered the Hive Mind.

At first, Obsidian was stunned by the sheer size of it, nearly overwhelmed by the vast intersecting limbs and tendrils, each one representing a different cord, a different life, no... a cluster of lives.

Obsidian blinked, "... this is going to take a while..." Ironheart sat patiently for several minutes as the Vampire focused until at last he looked up towards the Assassin, "I've done all I can, now the rest is up tah he-urk!" Obsidian's speech was cut off as Gumomo's hand latched tightly around his throat. The Vampire flailed his arms around chocking out, "it's...me!"

Gumomo's eyes flickered for a few moments before she released him and fell to the floor panting.

XXXXX

Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Grotimnos waded through the icy tundra until finally they came accross a giant icy spire stretching high above the heavens and piercing into a thick green cloud of ominous gas.

"... yaaaaa, no." Sweetie said abruptly before turning to leave if not for Applebloom and Grotimnos both yanking her back into place, "Oh come ooooon! Look at that! That's like where a final boss would hole up! We're not really going in there are we? It's suicide!"

Applebloom rolled her eyes, "yer being overdramatic thar hon, we'll be fine." the Ranger assured.

Sweetie didn't look comforted in the slightest, infact, she looked downright terrified out of her mind.

Grotimnos put an arm around her, "fear not m'lady, I shall do my utmost to protect thee." he held up her hand and kissed it. Applebloom made a gagging motion while Sweetie herself seemed to actually be a bit comforted by that. Applebloom was honestly getting a little grossed out by how lovey dovey those two were getting with oneanother.

The Icy palace before them creaked challengingly as its doors slowly opened letting out a flush of air even colder than the freezing tundra outside.

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle both shivered while the Necromancer seemed mostly unphazed. As such, Grotimnos took the lead as he shuffled his white robe around and adjusted his scythe onto his back while continuing on with his Staff of Power as a walking stick as he lead the trio into the tower of doooooooooooooom!

The three made their way into a very large circular room so large it would put the main hall of Canterlot to shame. Grotimnos let out a whistle which echoed off the walls bouncing up higher and higher along the seemingly infinite spire.

"... I am NOT climbing all those stairs..." Sweetie comented.

Some rumbling from nearby followed by a series of stalking skeletons begged to differ...

XXXXX

Palebreath, Omnifarious and Scootaloo stood atop the great wall guarding the monster Rizo within his tomb.

The new friends they had made stared out over the great was as the first lines of unholy abominations stalked towards them from several hundred feet away.

"well... that's not so bad." Omnifarious comented. And then the second wave came in behind them... and the wave behind that... and the wave behind that... and another...

Omnifarious blinked a few times before turning back towards his companions, "I think we may be ever so slightly outnumbered..."

XXXXX

Thorn huffed as she dug through her cousin's drawrs, why was he here? Why was her father here? Was there some secret information that Evander had unearthed? Wh... well hello...

Thorn pulled out a small missive baring the royal seal of her family clan; breaking it open she held up the letter and read it as such:

_To Dominousu, it seems that you were correct in your assumption of the Elves, they do indeed know the location of the Staff of Wishing. We are currently calling out aid to several nearby forts and factions of the Archlights as we prepare to make an assult on Drhaego. It is believed that Croth, bane of Aver is the current guardian of the staff; he was the former apprentice of Starswirl the Bearded, take caution when prepping your forces._

Thorn's face twisted into a sinister scowl, "they found it... already... bastards..." she sprinted out of the room only to bump into her cousin with an 'oomph!'

Thorn shook her head as she regained her barrings. "Well hello there dear cousin, I thought you knew better than to go snooping around in somepony else's s-" WHACK! Thorn cracked her staff over his head, swung the other end up cliping his jaw and spun around thrusting the blunt heart crystal into his chest knocking him to the ground before hopping up in the air and crackin it down ontop of his skull rendering him unconcious.

Thorn burst of the room and charged down the hallway, "I've always wanted to do that." she muttered with a smile before coming accross her companion's room, "Urversher! Vanilla!"

The two Kensei (I found out I was mispelling it as Kensai) turned towards the Enchantress, "Time to go! I know where the staff is!" before the two could ask any questions, she was already out the door. Groaning, the warriors followed her out only to come in contact with a large group of Elves with their bows strung back.

A slow clapping sounded as Thorn's father rounded the corner behind them, "very impressive Thorn, very impre-" "Oh shut up, that's such a corny and over used line, it's impudent to decency itself!"

Thorn's father blinked a few times in shock, "well, the nerve!"

"Nerve? NERVE?! LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT NERVE!" the two Unicorns began shouting domestic verbal abuse at one another while the Kensei and Elves stood nervously in the awkwardness.

"UGH! Enough of this!" Vanilla shouted as she drew her Katanas, "Cut heads off first and ask questions later!"

XXXXX

Ironheart, Gumomo, and Obsidian were currently sprinting through the changeling hive with Gumomo at the head, her mouth rabbid with foam, "I'M GONNA KILL HER! I'M GONNA KILL QUEEN BITCH AND EAT HER!" she shouted out hysterically.

Irhonheart and Obsidian struggled to keep up, "shouldn't we maybe... leave? You know, instead of taking on an army of Changelings?" the Vampire suggested to the Assassin who merely gave him a look that said 'are you crazy?!' "Aye... probably best not tae test 'er right now..."

A Changeling's head popped up as it heard a group of intruders pass through the halls, it made to hiss until Gumomo tackled it to the ground and litterally bit its face off as it cried in agony.

"... definitely best not tae test 'er right now..."

XXXXX

Grotimnos, Applebloom, and Sweetie now sat side by side at the top of the tower tied to three icy columns.

"Well... who else saw this coming?" Grotimnos asked crudely to nopony in particular.

A dark tall Unicorn made his way towards the three trapped ponies with a dark black robe swaddled around him and a large combat scythe standing next to him.

"Ah, finally I get to meet you... sister of Honesty! You're quite the hard pony to find you know... and yet, in the end you come to me, oh this is simply marvelous! The perfect sacrifice for me to ascend to the heights of a death god!" he clapped his hands together in glee. "And to think, The Guild almost stopped me!"

Grotimnos blinked... The Guild... their assassination contract handed to him for Applebloom's life... all to stop this jerkoff? Grotimnos scowled, "right, enough of this poppycock." He nodded to Sweetie Belle who had just finished picking the lock on her cuffs and broke free, hopping up, she tossed a dagger into the pony's eye making him yelp in pain. She then rushed forward and dextrously swipped the key to the restraints from his pocked and rushed back to Grotimnos' and Applebloom's side, freeing them.

As the evil pony began to recover, Applebloom sunk both her axes into his jugular before kicking him in the chest and sending him flying back into a table of alchemic ingredients

As the stallion began to recover, the three adventurers were already up and at 'em, ready to fight.

The Unicorn snarled as he held his hands up, "fools! This is no mere tower! THIS IS A BONE TEMPLE!" Ice accross the walls fell apart revealing a staggering amount of bones of all shapes and sizes lining the support beams and structure. With a wave of his hands, the Unicorn called forth an army of skelatons who began climbing their way down the walls, shambling revanents who assembled themselves as they clambered to the cold floor.

Applebloom blinked, "... that's new..." she said dumbly.

Grotimnos glared, and then held his own hands up calling forth his own army of the dead from the bone walls.

"Ah! I see I have a rival in the Necromantic arts!" The Unicorn called out as his skelatons while Grotimnos' own undead circled aroun him and his allies and he then summoned his Staff of Power into his hands.

"Well..." Sweetie began, "looks to me like we got two armies here... I think we all know what that means... LET'S BLOW SHIT UP!"

As if on que, Grotimnos held his staff out hurling a lightining bolt at the opposing Necromancer and sending him crashing into his own skelatons. And with that, both sides charged on with everything they had.

Sweetie laughed as she called upon her bardic song magic.

*If I Die In Battle, Van Canto*

"_Six winds blow as ooooonnnne. They will turn the tiiiiides, we are marching ooooon, standing side by siiiide_"

Sweetie unsheathed her sono crystal guitar and curled it around like an axe while Applebloom spun around tossing knives and throwing axes.

Grotimnos charged the Necromancer and tackled him into another table.

"_Aaaand we'll caaaaryyyy oooooon until all the fiiiires gone blown awaaaayyy; away to lands beeeeyyyoooooooond..._"

XXXXX

Scootaloo, Palebreath, and Omnifarious fought from atop the walls as the evil armies assulted the sand and stone;

*_six winds blow aassss ooooonee, they will turn the tiiiiiiidee_*

Scootaloo hurled down thrown axes and knifes while Omnifarious strung up a bow lent to him by the defenders of the wall and Palebreath summoned up a collosal bulwark of flame spining like a pinwheele through the masses; the other deefrenders asssulted the oncomers with arrows and crossbow bolts.

XXXXX

Ironheart, Obsidian, and Gumomo sprinted through the hive, Ironheart had out his elven cleaver in his right hand with his Ulak in his left slicing away at the screeching monsters while Obsidian whirled his scythe around decapitating the shapeshifter and Gumomo who had seemed to regain some of her sanity was using her Bow of Slaying to pick them off two by two.

*_we are marching ooooooon, standing side by siiiide_*

Finally the three bust into the main heart of the hive whereupon Chrysalis tured around with a shocked expression on her face; Gumomo glared stright into her soul, "you... I'm going to eat your heart!"

XXXXX

Urversher, Vanilla, and Thorn stared down the two sides of the hallway.

The two Kensei looked to their magic using comanion who contemplated the situation, "... cover your ears, NOW!" the two warriors did as told and Thorn raised her staff into the air, a resonating hum pulsated from it knocking the Elves out while her father blocked the enchantment.

Thorn turned to face the Wizard who now launched his own spell at her but Thorn countered by raising a barier with a powerful glyph infront of it which absorbed the blast, "toodles father, see you at the next family reuinion!" she giggled before leading the Kensei out into the open city where elves amased with bows and swords, "oh dear... well, it appears as though we're fighting our way out."

*_and we'll caaaarryyyyy ooooon, until all the fiiiiirees gone blown awaaaaay, away to lands beyooooooonndddd..._*

XXXXX

Sweetie, Applebloom, and Grotimnos continued to fight off the opposing skelatons... or tried to anyway...

"Ah can't tell which one's 'er on our side!" Applebloom cried dismally as she hacked and slashed with her axes at anything she could reach with her massive strength.

Sweetie giggled as she swung her sono crystal gutar around, it's sharpened edges hacking through the corpses like glaive, "I know isn't it fun?! _Wiiiiiindds blooooow aaaassssss_" Sweetie resumed playing, her music now switching to an intense heavy metal, "_OOOOONNNEEEEE!_"

Grotimnos scratched at the Necromancer with demonic claws while the Unicorn snapped at Grotimnos with an animalistic teeth as their undead armies waged war ignorant of the Bard and Ranger taking down numbers from both sides.

*_Theeey try to oppress uuus, to steal the faith from alll of our liives!_*

XXXXX

Scoota/Omni/Pale gave the armies all they had; Palebreath resorted to using his Staff of the Magi to hurl whirlwinds and fireballs down at the endless masses as cave trolls began to pound on the enchanted walls.

*_so they are the flame for dreadful fiiiirreeesss, they try to undermine uuuus niiiight byyyy niiiiight!_*

Omnifarious dropped the bow and drew a broadsword before leaping off the wall and onto the back of a troll burying his blade in its back bringing out a screeching roar of pain.

As the Fighter clambered up onto its shoulder, he used his sharpened shield to puncture into its neck over and over again until its hand came up to grab him; he then pulled out a dagger with his free hand and took off its fingers before swinging the dagger back around and impailing the monster's eye.

XXXXX

Gumomo slammed Chyrsalis into a wall and slashed with heir extended blades as Crysalis roared and retaliated with her tendrils; Ironheart how had his sword in one hand and his repeater crossbow in the other as he fired away relentlessly.

*_Now they are, unmasked and full of liiiiiieeees_*

Obsidian called froth the dead from the many corpses of lost souls dragged through these caves to fight for him and together they took on the Changeling masses.

Gumomo headbutted Chrysalis and punched her in the face before slamming her head into the wall; Chrysalis responded by socking her in the gut and wraping a tendril around her throat and launching her through the air into a neaby table of alchemical ingredients.

XXXXX

_*They never learned how to stand as one, And how to abandon feeeeaaaarr_*

Thorn launched out a plague of locusts towards the Elves while Urversher and Vanilla charged through the lines slicing off limbs and heads like butter; Vanilla carved away with her two Katanas laughing like a maniac as Urversher whipped his scabbard around before drawing the blade and rushing past three Elves in the same instant before shething the blade; the Elves stood for a few moments when blood spurted out of their torsos a burst pipe landing them dead upon the ground.

XXXXX

Grotimnos sent forth lightning bolts form his Staff of Power which the Necromancer countered with a Wall of Force spell and shot back a cone of cold which Grotimnos sucked up into rift spell opening up the other end behind his enemy and striking him with his own attack.

A fight between two magic users was a deadly game of chess.

Sweetie and Applebloom were now sustaining several injuries as they waged battle against the few remaining skelatons.

*_IF I DIE IN BATTTLLLLLLLEEEEE!(If I die) FIND DARK BLOOD UPON MY STEEEELLLL!_*

XXXXX

Another Troll rushed up behind Omnifarious, picked him up and crushed his torso in his hand before flining him at the wall with a sickening crunch of bone; thankfully wearing such light armor actually came in handy for once; had he been wearing chain or plate mail the metal would have evicorated him in that attack.

Omni fell to the ground hacking up blood as his vsion blurred, he fell to his knees with his hand resting on an orc's sword.

As the sounds of clashing steel raged on, he felt that cold darkness setting in, "NO!" she shook his head furiously and grasped hold of the sword and struggled to his hooves.

*_IF I DIE IN BATTLLLLLEEEEEEE(If I die) TELL THEM I STOOD AND NEVER KNEEELED!_*

"AAAAARGGGHHH!" Omni charged forward lopping off orc heads, spinning around slashing throats with his sharpened shield.

The second troll from before charged forwards towards Omni only for Scootaloo to crashed down into it from above, her battle axe and warhammer cracking its collar bone, she kicked off of its chest with a backflip and landed down next to Omni; then she charged forward and hacked her axe horizontally into the Troll's leg before runing in a circle around the limb shredding all of the muscles and ligaments and finishing off by swinging her warhammer around and busting the monster's leg bone causing it to fall to the ground wailing in agony.

Scootaloo rushed over Omni and went back to back.

*_IF I DIE IN BATTLLLEEEE, my soul will be saved and gone!._*

XXXXX

*_I WON'T DIE IN BAAATTLLLLE, I'll fly north with six winds bloooowwing as oooonneee!*_

Vanilla, covered in wounds and riddled with arrows turned towards Urversher, "Crimson Swords dance!" she sheathed her left Katana and joined hands with Urversher, the two began flinging eachother around in powerful arcs, each one amplifying the momentum of their strikes as they carved a bloody path through the Elves towards the shores of the Islands.

*_they did not await uuuus and the kingdom willl raise!*_

Thorn spun her staff around in the air before slamming it into the grond sending out a shockwave of energy which raptured the minds of the Elves, forcing them to turn on oneanother.

XXXXX

"ye_s we are, the nightmare deep withiiiiiin_"

The Evil Necromancer laughed as Sweetie and Applebloom struggled on their last legs, only a few skelatons left now; the Necromancer blasted magic missles into Grotimnos with such force that they knocked him through a wall into the next room where he found the most interesting thing; a strange black book upon a table...

"_They underestimate uuuuus, our faith aaaalive! For freeeedooooome, and our new life to begiiiiin!"_

Grotimnos flipped open the pages despite the severe pain of his injuries sustaineb by powerful magics and read through the book... there upon the inside of the cover was written: Property of Rastlin the Red.

Grotimnos' jaw dropped, this was... the... the spellbook of Rastlin! His ACTUAL spellbook!

Grotimnos grasped the book and flipped through the pages absorbing as much of its arcane knowledge as he could.

In the other room the Necromancer turned to Sweetie who still struggled to keep her bardic song up to sustain their strength as Applebloom hurled her axes at two of the skelatons and tackled the last one to the ground slamming her fist into it until the skull was reduced to bonemeal.

"I admire you two... but this silly little game ends n-" a powerful bolt of dark energy slammed into him from the side knocking him on his flanks as Grotimnos stepped through the whole with Rastlin's spellbook held open in his left hand, powerful dark energies swirling around his body as his right was outstretched towards the Unicorn and sent forth a series of miniature meteorites.

Sweetie Belle cheered, "_They will never briiing us down. They never rule our liiiiife!_ _We will beeeeee a tempest rising hiiiigh!_"

XXXXX

Scootaloo struggled to keep upright even as her berserker rush fuled her strength; dozens of cuts and arrows littered her body as she stood next to a panting Omnifairous who looked to be faring no better; beside them was Palebreath who had raised every last shield he could think of in his arcane repitiore, he'd used up all his illusions and spells leaving his Staff of the Magi as his only defense.

Many of the other defenders of the wall had died save for Dallandra the Elven Ranger and Craven the Griffon Paladin, both of which were severely bloodied.

Scootaloo turned to Omnifarious with a weak smile, "I guess this is it huh?"

*_IF I DIE IN BAAATTLLLLLEEEE (if I die) IF I FIND DRIED BLOOD UPON MY STEEEELLLL*_

Omnifarious smiled, "yea... live free or die hard... let's unlease hell."

The two Warriors charged into the horde of orcs and monsters letting out a fierce battle cry as they did so.

*_IF I DIE IN BAAATTLLLLEEE (if I die) TELL THEM I STOOOOD AND NEVER KNEEEELLLED!_*

Palebreath summoned up a sphere of flame only to come face to face with a Mind Flayer, "oh bullocks... AAAAAAAHHHHH!" The Illusionist grasped his head in agony as he fell to the floor.

Craven charged forward with his enchanted holy sword and decapitated the monster while Dallandra lossed every last arrow she had at the invading forces while Omni and Scootaloo roared like a lions and slashed away with every last ounce of strength they had left.

palebreath shook his head as he struggled back to his hooves, his Ring of Regeneration did little to stave off his grave wounds. He held his staff forwards and let loose a torrent of lightning bolts before calling on its great powers to summon an Elemental of Earth which charged forth to aid the Warriors.

XXXXX

Gumomo slashed at Chrysalis left and right while the Changeling Queen returned the favor with her own slashes, the two mare's claws tore at eachother's chitinous skin splattering green blood all over the floor. Gumomo was an incredibly tough Fighter famous for having a massive amount of vitality but even she could feel her health reaching its limits. Fortunately Chrysalis didn't look like she was fairing any better.

Several Changelings hopped onto Obsidian's back, he abandoned his Scythe and began to fight as a true Vampire, he pierced his claws into their eyes and flipped them over him onto the ground before sinking his fangs into their necks.

*_IF I DIE IN BATTLLLEEEEE(if I die) MY SOUL WILL BE SAVED AND GONE!*_

ironheart spun around dual wielding his cleaver and Ulak, dextrously hacking off limbs and stabbing his dagger into the Changeling's eyes; but he couldn't keep this up forever, a massive injury to his leg and several bite and slash marks accross his body told that he would fall soon, for good.

XXXXX

Thorn lead the two Kensei towards the beach where her own, her cousine's and her father's Wyverns sat pecking at some fruit from nearby trees.

*_I WON'T DIE IN BAAATLLLEEEE, I FLY NORTH WITH SIX WINDS BLOOOOWING AS OOOOONNNEEE!*_

The three hopped onto the Wyverns and spurred them forth toward the beach, when the Wyverns picked up enough speed they outstretched their wings and took to the skies.

"WHERE ARE WE GOING?!" Vanilla shouted over the roaring winds and sining of arrows sailing past.

"TO DRHAEGO!" the Enchantress answered.

XXXXX

Grotimnos summoned a giant demonic creature made of volcanic rock which tackled the Evil Necromancer through the icy bone walls crashing through ten different rooms.

"_What might end w'll start again. We will never diiieeee. We will beeeee a thunderstorm of liiiiiife!"_

Grotimnos flipped through the pages of the Grimoire, "this is amazing! This spellbook shows hundreds of different shortcuts through magic! Why... I bet I could even cast a nineth level spell!" Just as the eveil necromancer began to stand up, Grotimnos pointed his finger towards him as he chanted an ancient and forbidden dialect as a dark energy swirled about him, and then, he said but a single word; "die." The Necromancer paused for a few seconds as blood trickled down the corner of his mouth... and then he fell to the ground; his body incinerated into ash.

XXXXX

*_Six winds blow as ooooooone, they will turn the tiiiiide._*

Craven ran up and hurled his sword into an orgre before palcing his hands on both Scootaloo and Omnifraious using his Paladin abilities to heal them before sprinting forth and retrieving his blade from the Ogre, hacking off its legs and then hopping back between the two Warriors.

Soon Dallandra joined them, wielding two elven shortswords in either hand as even Palebreath came up to them wielding his staff.

*_We are marching ooooon, standing side by siiiiiide and we'll caaarryyyy ooooon, until alll the fire's gone blown awaaaay away to laaands beyoooond_*

The five ponies looked at eachother and gave a last farewell smile before charging forth towards the remaining hordes among the corpses of monsters.

*_IF I DIE IN BAAAATLLLLEEEEE!*_

Omnifarious lashed out with his sword and spun around in the air slamming his shield into orc's heads and cracking their skulls. Scootaloo swung both of her weapons with a furious might; the Ranger and Paladin fought their bravest but were cut down by the hordes; Palebreath shot out every last spell in his Staff of the Magi.

*_IF I FIND DRIED BLOOD UPON MY STEEEEELLL!*_

XXXXX

Urversher turned back to see that they had company; three Wyverns were close behind in hot pursuit. Urversher leapt off of his own and embeded his Katana within one of the Elven rider's chests.

Thorn casted an illusion on a second causing him to think that his wyvern was on fire at which point he hopped off the creature and landed in the open ocean.

Urversher hopped over to the final one with a jumping slash that took the Elf's head off before jumping back up to his own Wyvern and continuint to fly south east.

*_IIIFFF I DIIIIEE, TELL THEM I STOOOD AND NEVER KNEEEELED_*

XXXXX

Gumomo grabbed hold of Chrysalis' head and invaded her mind in a psychic duel.

*_IIIF I DIE IN BAAATLLEEEE, MY SOUL WILL BE SAVED AND GONE!_*

Gumomo's mental energy swirled around with Chrysalis' ripping apart her hold over the masses.

"THE!" Gumomo roared as her energy contorted arouned Chrysalis.

"HIVE!" The energies clashed and slammed into one another.

"MIND!" Gumomo's began to grow stronger and over power.

"IS!" And with a final torrent, Gumomo's energy completely dominated Chrysalis'

"MMIIIIIIIIINNNEEEE!"

Chrysalis scremed.

*_I WON'T DIE! I'LL FLY NORTH WITH SIX WINDS BLOOOWING AS A OOOONE!_*

The Changelings screeched a few moments before passing out.

Ironheart and Obsidian both blinked... "what... just happened..."

Gumomo stood up, huffing as blood poured from her wounds, "I just took command of the Hive Mind, that's what..."

Gumomo then turned towards a seperate room, "come on." she lead the two confused companions into a sallway filled with various large metalic spheres and tunnel ways spanning th eceilings and floors.

"What is that?"

"An Air Pressure Tunnel System, Changelings use it to get around the continant." Gumomo answered.

"How do you know that?" Asked Obsidian.

Gumomo turned towards the Vampire with a knowing smile, "I know everything that Chyrsalis knows, and she knew everything that every one of her Changelings knew. I also know where the Staff of Wishing is. Drhaego island."

Ironheart blinked, Obsidian stared, "that's... cool actually..." he turned back to the unconcious Changelings, "what about them eh?"

Gumomo waved him off, "they'll be like that for 48 hours, standard alteration of Changeling Hive mental reset. It takes two days before their minds can adjust to the new Queen.

Gumomo ushered the two stallions into a large metal sphere before entering it herself and rolling it towards the hole.

"... you... do know how to drive this thing right?" Obsidian asked unsuredly.

"Yep, well, theoretically; I didn't know before but now I have Chrysalis' knowledge there should only be a minor chance of us dying."

"WHAT?!"

The phere rolled down the chute propelling itself at an incredibly high speed, the metal grinding and sparking against the rock of the mountain and eventually, the bedrock.

XXXXX

Palebreath sighed as he searched through the complex of the wall; Omnifarious and Scootaloo lay with ragged on the floor; they had won... they nearly died... they lost their new friends... but they had won.

They lay on their backs catching their breaths with wounds carterized; Palebreath finally found what he was looking for; a jounel book.

"Hmm... we're in luck... they knew where the Staff of Wishing is... the island of Drhaego... interesting..."

Omni turned towards the Wizard with a glare, "have some decency for the dead!" he shouted.

"Oh yes... they're dead and we're still alive; so count your blessings and get on with that life." Palebreath responded darkly.

"Now hold on, this is going to be a shaky journey." Pale breath placed his hands on either side of the two Warriors and with a *pop* he teleported them away.

Unfortunately, this left Rizo's prison completely unguarded...

XXXXX

Grotimnos dug through various cupboards around the area until he found his prize, "woah! I thought a 200 year old Wizard would have a few health potions lying around but this is ridiculous!" he gawked at the plethora of potions.

Sweetie and Applebloom dragged their sore and injured bodies over before greedily gulping down the thick red liquid and felt the magical energy restore her energy.

"AAAHHHHH Phew!" Sweetie let out as she sighed in relief.

"So what now?" Applebloom asked curiously.

Grotimnos turned around and flipped through the book's pages, "well let's see here... oh... oh this is too good..."

"What?" Applebloom and Sweetie Belle asked in unison as they tried to get a peek at the book.

Grotimnos looked up with a giant grin plastered on his face, "it has the location of the Staff of Wishing... Drhaego island, and I know how to get there with a teleportation spell. Every mage has been there at least once to study the aether. To think... it was there all along... well... I suppose a bit of irony would be fitting at this point. Right! Hold on gals! We're goint to Drhaego island!" Grotimnos packed the remaining healing potions into a sack before grabbing hold of the two mares and teleporting them away to Drhaego island.

XXXXX

A Red dragon walking on two legs with yellow spines and dark brown eyes stood up from his chair within a deep ancient cave, "so... they've all finally come; guess it's time to play my own part in this story." with a sly smile he grabbed his giant greatsword and headed towards the chamger of the cave containing the Staff of Wishing.

So it was time... Time for Croth, The Bane of Avor to do battle one last time in the defense of the artifact he swore to protect at the very cost of his life.

END OF CHAPTER!

And remember, Dungeons and Ponies role playing forum should be up in a week or two so keep an eye out for it, I'll most likely put up another chapter here notifying when it's up.

Aside from that, this story is coming to its enevitably conclusion; just one final battle left.

One final ultimate encounter, who ever's left standing will have their wishes granted, literally.

But only one... only one can have the Staff of Wishing.

I would also please ask those who sent in OCs for this story to include what their character would wish for if their character wins.

See you later.

_BemnalTheFallen_


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